The 10 former ASUNM senate candidates accused last month of misreporting campaign expenses appealed their initial punishments, and said while they did spend more money on campaign materials than reported, the materials were never used.
Regardless, ASUNM Attorney General Greg Montoya said the candidates deserve punishment.
“The students of the University of New Mexico were misled,” he said. “The elections commission and I do not believe these individuals have the integrity to hold office, and I ask the court to uphold our decision.”
The ASUNM Elections Commission determined the Make Your Mark slate candidates committed financial misconduct for failing to report $54.28 spent on campaign fliers, which put the candidates over their $200 allowed campaign spending limit.
The elections commission imposed an $81.24 fine on each candidate and ruled their votes wouldn’t count in the first two full-senate meetings. The commission also ruled sen.-elect Brandyn Jordan could not take office.
The candidates are appealing all three sentences.
Montoya said Make Your Mark intentionally misreported a split invoice from a local print shop, and that Jordan then lied about it during elections commission proceedings. Jordan and Fidelmar Rivera, who was not elected, assumed responsibility for the slate.
Sen.-elect Joe Stevens spoke to the student court on behalf of the candidates. He said the fliers that went unreported were extras that the candidates didn’t use during the campaign. Stevens said the candidates shouldn’t be punished.
“Brandyn Jordan received 598 votes, the highest of any candidate,” he said. “Is it right to silence 598 individuals’ voices? We did not intentionally misreport these fliers, and we did not use them to campaign, to affect the minds of students. Our actions as individuals prove our character; our actions to help the community … Every action we took was for the students.”
The court will decide whether to uphold the elections commission’s original ruling by Wednesday. If faced with fines, Make Your Mark candidates have 10 days to pay the fines.
Claire Mize, ASUNM elections director, said the elections commission originally determined candidates didn’t report $64.84 and agreed to fine the candidates $97.26, but the amounts were revised down to due clerical errors. The candidates are each being fined $81.24, which is one and a half times the amount the candidates went over their spending limit.
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