The Daily Gamecock

Violation update: Constitutional Council won't hear DiBona appeal

The Student Government Constitutional Council has denied an appeal from presidential candidate Tommy DiBona and vice presidential candidate Madi Carzon, who disagreed with a Monday night Elections Commission ruling that gave both of them five points. Each candidate can earn 10 points before being removed from contention.

Chief Justice James Elliott Moran released the decision at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in a statement.

"After much thought and discussion the Council has determined there to be no standing," he wrote. "In our opinion, from the information provided, we have determined that the Elections Commission did not seem to break the Student Government Constitution or any Code. This issue is considered resolved."

DiBona and Carzon received the points for what the commission ruled under "campaign rallies or special events," which aren't permitted during the first week of campaigning.

The candidates hosted an event together at Breakers Live the first night that campaigning was permitted on Feb. 13. A majority of the DiBona and Carzon campaign staffers were there, and over 400 people were invited on Facebook. A campaign banner was hung on the wall.

According to the commission's statement released Wednesday on the decision, it concluded that the event was a violation because: "1) non-campaign staff members were invited to the event and were present at the event, 2) the event was pre-planned and the gathering of students would not have occurred absent the efforts of the candidates to plan the event, and 3) activity in promotion of the DiBona-Carzon campaign occurred at the event."

Read the full story on the violation here.


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