I am writing this letter in order to clear up any confusion or misinformation that was communicated via a State Press article published on April 9 and written by Julia Shumway entitled “Disqualified USG candidates voice confusion as elections begin.” I initially intended not to respond to the article, as I believe the article accurately portrays how Ryan Henderson and his running mates feel, and I respect our freedoms of expression, no matter how unmerited those expressions are. However, I realize that the article suggests that I am operating this elections cycle under extreme biases and influences; it also suggests that USG might have a strong influence over the outcome of the elections. Therefore, I am writing this response in order to ensure all students that this is not the case; I accepted the Elections Director position earlier this year with the sole intention of facilitating a fair, legitimate and unbiased elections cycle. I am certain that all decisions I have made regarding elections throughout this semester were based purely on our governing documents and were not influenced by personal relationships or beliefs whatsoever.
As the elections director, I have the sole responsibility of upholding the rules and regulations set forth in the ASASU Constitution, the GPSA Bylaws and the USG Elections Code. All individuals who apply to be a candidate must follow the same rules as everyone else. As the agent through which these governing documents assume authority, I have the obligatory responsibility to ensure that every individual operates within the constrictions of these rules.
In short, Ryan Henderson and those running on his ticket turned in an incomplete application, and therefore it was not accepted as a valid application. My decision to do this came solely from the USG Elections Code; to suggest that I would like to see the Henderson ticket disqualified — as stated by Henderson in the State Press article — is wholly inaccurate, as I earnestly wish to help any student seek candidacy in the elections.
The Henderson applicants are adamant that I was wrong in my decision and continue to suggest that the decisions I made are a direct result of a desire to see their endeavors fail. The truth is that I would have liked to see them on the ballot and on campus campaigning, but I absolutely cannot process an incomplete application. Doing that is unethical and would render me as especially biased. This would also directly violate the USG Elections Code.
I assure that the Elections Department and I operate under no biases or influences, while at the same time I wish everyone to acknowledge that, as humans, we all inevitably have biases and influences. Also, I assure that USG has absolutely no influence over how the Elections Department facilitates the election process.
Furthermore, the April 9 article written by Julia Shumway, “Disqualified USG candidates voice confusion as elections begin,” was written lackadaisically and was hardly — if at all — checked for facts, despite that the author interviewed me and had complete access to the facts. If anyone wishes to view any of the documents mentioned in this letter (governing documents, Henderson’s application sans personal information, appeal documents, emails, etc.), please contact me directly at dohester@asu.edu.
Derrik Hester
Director of the Tempe Campus Elections Department
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