Candidate disqualified from Student Senate election

Vice President of Student Life candidate Joseph Gale has been disqualified from running for the position after receiving 650 penalty points from the Election Commission.

A statement from Matt Van Hoeck, Election Commission co-chair, sent via email to The Times-Delphic said Gale was disqualified after violating “the Certified Election Rules that govern this student body election.” Exact violations were not available at the time of publication. Election Commission rules state that once a candidate reaches 501 penalty points he or she is disqualified from running for the position.

Van Hoeck said the online-ballot cannot be closed or altered once it is opened, so voting is still possible. Gale’s results will not be announced at the results reveal tonight. Gale also has 24 hours to file a formal contest of the ruling.

Gale, in a statement to The Times-Delphic, said he filed a formal appeal to the Election Commission, and the next steps in the process of the appeal are pending.

Gale is currently the technology liaison for Student Senate and serves as The Times-Delphic’s advertising manager. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available today. A full write-up will be in the Thursday edition of The TD.