By Crystal Luong
News Assistant
All seemed normal for SGA secretary candidate Beth Burch as her campaign kicked off last Thursday. On the same night, however, Burch learned her name would not be on the ballot because SGA elections officials found nine signatures on her petition that crossed with other secretary candidates.
While Burch had acquired 153 signatures on her petition, five more than the 148 required of SGA E-board candidates, she was still left four signatures short of being on the ballot. The other candidates had received enough extra signatures to remain in the running.
“I had nothing left to do except run a write-in campaign,” Burch said. “I had to run because I have such a passion for this. I wanted to be true to myself.”
Burch wrote an appeal to SGA General Judiciary Chair Trevor McLaren for her name to appear on the ballot based on the precedent that candidates in situations similar to her in past elections had been allowed to acquire the needed signatures.
Burch said McLaren told her that if candidates had done so in the past, it was an unconstitutional action.
“We informed everyone in the beginning about the rules,” SGA Election Rules Chair Charles Irvin said. “In the past, it wasn’t taken as seriously as it was this year. Unfortunately, Beth was the only one affected.”
SGA election officials looked over election bylaws and determined that Burch could not do anything besides a write-in campaign to run for secretary.
“I did nothing wrong and I feel like I am being punished,” Burch said.
Irvin said SGA was just enforcing the rules.
“Our goal has been to run a very clean campaign,” he said. “We wanted to exhaust every avenue before she was taken off the ballot.”
Since the launch of her write-in campaign, Burch has been overwhelmed by student support.
“My support from everybody, students wearing my T-shirts, standing up in class to tell people to vote for me — I think it’s amazing,” she said. “I am overwhelmed by the love and support shown to me and I appreciate it.”
Burch still plans on being involved in SGA even if she is not elected to the E-board. She is considering going for Ocean’s 37 chair and has plans to propose changes to the election bylaws.
March 20, 2003