The University Court overturned the election board’s decision to disqualify the Unite LSU ticket from the spring Student Government Elections Sunday evening, and John Woodard and Taylor Parks have now officially won the SG election.
Unite LSU presidential candidate — now president-elect — John Woodard said a total of 56 Unite candidates will be reinstated to their positions, and 11 members will now be able to participate in the runoff election.
The decision from the court comes a day after an appeal filed against the election board’s decision to disqualify Unite LSU from the election was heard Saturday morning.
The appeal, which was written by Unite LSU adviser Joe Gipson, did not pass through UCourt because it dealt with whether the election board had the right to revalue Unite LSU’s expenditure document.
The court voted that the election board did have that right.
However, Sunday’s complaint dealt with whether the election board had correctly executed its power regarding the revaluing of Unite LSU’s expenditure document.
The court decided the election board did not have enough evidence to disqualify Unite LSU from the election.
The election board thought Unite LSU’s financial document that dealt with the price of its campaign banners was less than fair market value, which would have been against the election code.
Under the election code, the election board has the right to revalue the price of items on campaign financial documents that it deem unfairly purchased. The election board can determine the fair market value of those items by receiving three reasonable price quotes from a sample of companies.
The complainant Kristina Lagasse, mass communication senior, was joined by Gipson, political science junior, and counselor Robbie Mahtook, finance junior.
On the election board’s side was Commissioner of Elections Aimeé Simon, mass communication senior, as well as election board members Trey White, petroleum engineering senior, and Derek Reed, political science junior.
On whether the election board correctly estimated the value of three reasonable quotes from other companies, which was the basis for the disqualification, the court voted one in favor, five opposed and three abstained.
On whether the court should grant the relief requested by Lagasse, which was to reinstate all Unite LSU candidates in the election, the court voted four in favor, two opposed and two abstained.
Lagasse, who prepared Unite LSU’s financial documents, filed the complaint against SG Commissioner of Elections Aimeé Simon and the election board.
SG Chief Justice Morgan Faulk said this was a difficult decision because of how much was at stake.
“It was not an easy decision to make because either way we go it is a lose-lose for us,” Faulk said. “Either decision we could have made would have made one side upset.”
Faulk said the Court had to make a fair decision.
“It was said in court, it states in the election code that the election board has to present three reasonable price comparisons when making the decision to disqualify,” Faulk said.
Faulk said two of the price comparisons presented by the election board were unreasonable because one of the quotes was for a single item rather than a bulk order of 24, and the other item was quoted with two-day express shipping.
The disqualification was made invalid because there was only one reasonable price comparison, Faulk said.
“I can’t tell you how exciting and what a relief this is, not only for Taylor and I, but for all of our candidates who rightfully deserve this,” Woodard said.
Woodard said he is glad Unite candidates’ names are now untarnished of wrongful accusations.
“It cleared our names,” Woodard said. “From the beginning we have felt we have run a fair and honorable campaign.”
He said he will work in the future to prevent situations like this from recurring.
“We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Woodard said. “Over this process I have lost 15 pounds, and we really don’t want anyone to have to go through this kind of stress again.”
Woodard said he will take a few hours to “regroup” before he begins his work as SG president-elect.
“I am just so ecstatic,” Parks said. “Our candidates are the most hardworking people I have ever come in contact with, and they deserve this.”
Lagasse, said she was ecstatic about the court’s decision.
“Justice was served,” Lagasse said. “Three thousand thirty-seven student votes actually count now.”
