An Open Letter to Students

During this past week BUSU General Election, where I ran for the position of Vice President External, I encountered several violations of the bylaws that I feel have led to an unfair advantage for my opponent, Ashley Lemon. I am not one to complain, and am a firm believer in democracy, but I feel that my opponent was allowed an unfair advantage.

After reviewing the BUSU Election Bylaws I have found several bylaws that were not properly followed during the election. Though I do not hold anyone personally responsible, I feel that the election was not held in a fair manner.

5.1.4- “Poll Stations must have at least one poll clerk present for the entire duration of voting hours for that day”

As I walked into the KDC Building on March 11th at approximately 2PM, I observed a poll clerk leaving the polling station completely unattended, twice, to go to the bathroom. The ballots, voters list, and ballot box were all left unsupervised.

8.1.7 - “ Once all ballots have been counted and approved, the unofficial election results may be posted.”

Going by this bylaw, no unofficial election results should have been posted because we have not received the off campus polls yet. Releasing the On-Campus results, well before the Off-Campus students have even had the opportunity to vote, can sway the voters to vote another way and drive more voters to the polls, which can drastically change the outcome of the entire election. 12.1.3 - “Campaigning shall be permitted on Election Day. No campaign material or campaigning of any sort is allowed within fifty (50) feet of each polling station.”

12.1.5 - “Candidates are responsible for removing all of their campaign material from within fifty (50) feet of a polling station by 8:00 PM prior to the first date of voting. The RO shall review the area within fifty (50) feet of the polling station to ensure that all materials have been removed” I was the only candidate to make sure my signage was moved away from the voting area. All other candidates made no attempt to remove their campaign posters from the polling area. This can lead to a large advantage as voters approach a polling station.

These are the four bylaws, that I personally witnessed, that were not followed properly during the voting days for the 2010-2011 election, as well as other irregularities that have seemed to have occurred. Because the bylaws were not followed and these irregularities , it has raised several questions about the legitimacy of this election.

These reasons are why the election process for the Vice President External position needs to be redone in order to make sure that a fair democratic decision is made by the Brandon University Students.

I hope that there is an opportunity to have this election process done in a way that is fair to all candidates and the candidate you select will be there to serve your needs.

Sincerely, Chris Desormeau