ASUI president found in violation of campaign rules
ASUI President Nate Fisher was fined $15 following the publication of an article in The Argonaut Feb. 9 announcing his intent to run for re-election.
According to Fisher, the ASUI elections coordinators determined the story was in violation of ASUI Rules and Regulations, which states no candidate may campaign prior to the formal election season, with the exception of self-endorsement for announcement purposes.
The violation originally incurred the maximum fine of $200 for Fisher, said ASUI Director of Policy and Fisher’s campaign manager Tanner Beymer.
Nate Fisher
According to Beymer, ASUI Elections Coordinators James Morrell and Emily Stephens intended to charge Fisher $15 for every copy of The Argonaut published Feb. 9, up to $200. Beymer said he, along with Fisher and ASUI Student Defender Chris Schrette, eventually persuaded Morrell and Stephens that The Argonaut was a single entity, reducing the fine to $15.
Fisher said he believes he did nothing wrong.
“Emily Stephens had mentioned at one point that her initial reaction was that she wanted to disqualify me from the election, and I thought that was absolutely absurd,” Fisher said. “It’s a definitional issue that all comes down to the complete discretion of the elections coordinators. When it’s up for some kind of judgment that’s a little unclear or hazy, that’s such a high punishment to consider.”
According to Beymer, Fisher reached out to both him and Morrell before and after his interview with The Argonaut to make sure what he said was acceptable, and neither party saw anything inappropriate with it at the time.
However, Beymer said in the most recent version of the ASUI Rules and Regulations, which he consulted when Fisher asked him about the interview, the subsection including the violated rule was removed due to human oversight. In the paperwork given to ASUI candidates outlining the rules and regulations for campaigning, the version of the document in which the rule is still included is used.
Both Morrell and Stephens declined to comment.
Beymer said ASUI Senate Parliamentarian Max Cowan, who will run against Fisher for the presidency, expressed sympathy to Fisher. Shortly after the article about Fisher ran, The Argonaut ran a similar article about Cowan announcing his intent to run and discussing his stance on redistricting ASUI. Cowan was not reprimanded by the election coordinators.
Beymer said Cowan was not involved in the election coordinators’ decision to fine Fisher.
Fisher said he doesn’t believe the setback will affect his bid for the presidency, but he and Beymer agree they will be more cognisant of what is and isn’t allowed during campaigning as the election season goes on.
“I’ll be honest — there are some candidates who I do not trust,” Beymer said. “We’re going to be keeping a watchful eye on our opponents and making sure they’re running campaigns that are ethical. What’s the point of having these standards if we’re not consistent about keeping them?”
Hannah Shirley can be reached at [email protected]