A top Bruins United campaign organizer has left the slate, saying he is “disheartened” by complaints of misrepresentation in slate endorsements that emerged this week during this year’s undergraduate student government elections.
Chris Flores, who was a co-chair of the slate, first announced his decision to leave the slate in a public statement to the Daily Bruin early this morning.
“I was sad that these incidents happened, and I personally couldn’t continue to be a part of it,” Flores said in an interview.
Flores, who is a fifth-year political science student, was a member of Bruins United for four years. He said the decision to leave the slate was very difficult, and he contemplated it all day Wednesday.
Flores said he decided to step down as co-chair of the group because he was disappointed in the slate’s lack of response to the misrepresentation of the student groups’ endorsements ““ Theta Xi has reported an inaccurate endorsement and UCLA Circle K and Moneythink UCLA have filed official complaints ““ and that these issues occurred in the first place.
He said the incidents should have been given closer attention by Bruins United and election officials.
“There are flaws in our electoral system, but that gives no one the right to take advantage of those holes,” Flores wrote in his statement.
Flores said the intent of his statement is not to attack Bruins United, its candidates or its supporters. The election process itself is at fault, he said.
Flores has apologized to students, the Election Board and the entire student population.
He said he intends to work with administrators and students to change the election code so that similar incidents do not happen in the future.
Compiled by James Barragan, Bruin senior staff.