 "Photo: Brooke Cassidy/The Daily Athenaeum")
Members of the Judicial Board ordered a revote of the Student Government Association elections at West Virginia University Tuesday night due to multiple allegations of tampering with votes.
During a Judicial Board hearing to address campaign violations, an issue was raised that multiple candidates from both the Pirate and Fusion parties were responsible for voter fraud. James Bailey, Judicial Board chair, said because there was a lack of evidence to single out any particular person, a revote would be best.
"We felt there was an abundance of evidence on both sides of mass voter fraud. For that reason, we have decided not to certify this election and to order a revote," he said.
Bailey said the details of the revote will be determined by the Office of Student Affairs as "soon as possible." The Judicial Board will issue a statement today explaining the logic behind its decision and offer advice for Student Affairs to consider when determining the details of the revote, he said.
Monday, the leaders from both parties endorsed a revote because they did not want the matter to be determined in court, which could affect the image of SGA. They agreed a revote would be best for the students.
Jonathan Storage, member of the Judicial Board, read from a statement following the decision, reminding candidates of Article 6 of the SGA Elections Code dealing with fair campaign practices.
"We wish that you would go foreword with this (Article 6) in mind with the upcoming revote, because the certification will come before this board again and we will address any further issues of campaign violations," Storage said.
Board members also issued decisions on outcomes of campaign violations presented during Tuesday's meeting.
SGA Vice President Ron Cheng and SGA Executive Jamie Chapman were accused by Gov. Josh Snyder of using computers in the College of Law to access the Votenet system and falsify students' votes. The Board decided to dismiss the charge due to lack of evidence.
"I'm happy," Cheng said. "My name is cleared now, they have been after me for a while, and it's good that in the end, I'm okay."
Pirate Party candidates Alyssa Mariano and Bryanna DeFazio were levied $30 fines for illegal campaign practices outside of the Towers residence halls. According to the violation, both candidates asked students for their 700 numbers to vote for them.
Courtney Bertol, also a candidate with the Pirate Party, received a $10 fine for illegally placing a campaign poster inside of a classroom.
Violations against Pirate Party members Philip Berry, Alex Folio, Joe Harmon, Maranio and Collins Youngblood were also dismissed.
Fines from election violations are billed to the candidates' student accounts and are payable online. If a candidate fails to pay their fine, they will receive a hold on their account and will be unable to register for classes or graduate.
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