President-elect Ross Meyer and Vice President-elect Liz Simonhoff have been disqualified from the Undergraduate Student Government election, effective today at 4 p.m., after they were cited for a major campaign violation.
Meyer and Simonhoff were disqualified because they did not turn in a campaign-expense form before the March 7 run-off election.
"We just didn't turn them in," Meyer said. "I guess it was just a lapse."
Presidential runner-up Richard Sales and vice presidential runner-up Craig Zoebisch filed a complaint against Meyer and Simonhoff over the expense report March 13.
Sales would not comment Sunday.
Meyer said he was disappointed Sales filed the complaint.
"It's sad when one of your friends stabs you in the back like that," he said.
Zoebisch said he didn't like that they had to file the violations complaint.
"It's unfortunate it had to come to what it did," he said.
Meyer said he will appeal to the Supreme Court of the Associated Students of ASU.
According to the USG election code, if the offender has been elected he will undergo impeachment hearings instead of disqualification.
Because Meyer is the president-elect he should not be disqualified, he said.
"We're confident [the Supreme Court] will see our argument and that it needs to be something the Senate decides," he added.
Supreme Court justice Jamie Forseth, who is also Meyer's girlfriend, said if Meyer appeals she would probably excuse herself from the case.
USG Elections Director Aaron Kravitz would not comment on the violation, but in his written decision he said "this matter has troubled me for several days."
Sales also did not turn in an expense report before the run-off election, but Meyer did not file a complaint.
In his written decision, Kravitz said Sales and Zoebisch have until Tuesday to state their case or they could possibly be disqualified as well.
Zoebisch said he is too busy to worry about the disqualification.
"I have other obligations right now," he said. "I can't spend my time worrying about this."
A Senate bill passed last spring stated that if both candidates in the run-off election are disqualified, an open application process would take place where any undergraduate student could apply.
The Senate would then select a candidate.
But any candidate previously disqualified, such as Meyer or Sales, would not be able to apply for the position.
Ben Starsky, senator for the College of Education, took part in writing the bill.
He said the bill was the best solution to such a problem.
"There is no way the elections department could hold another election," he said. "It would be a logistical nightmare."
Starsky said he is upset Sales filed the complaint.
"[Sales] will likely emerge looking rather foolish. In his scheme to get [Meyer] disqualified, he managed to get himself disqualified as well," Starsky said. "But this is
not good because that foolishness reflects on [USG] as a whole."
Starsky said he thought the Supreme Court would
overturn Meyer's disqualification, and he will become president.
"What a shame," he said. "Everyone walks away with the exact same results as before this incident -- only USG's credibility was damaged."
Reach the reporter at kristi.eaton@asu.edu.
