By Chris Flores
Over the course of the week there have been accusations from several student groups regarding the endorsement process and Bruins United.
The Election Board has examined the accusations put forward by these groups and has left it to said groups to investigate further.
I would first like to begin by stating that this is not the fault of the candidates that are running under the Bruins United name nor the supporters, who give their blood, sweat, and tears into the campaigns.
Within the last few hours, I decided to step down as a leader within Bruins United because I felt so disheartened with the process, our lack of response to these situations when they first came up, and the fact these situations happened in the first place.
As a former leader within the party, this is an event that we should have paid closer attention to. There are flaws in our electoral system, but that gives no one the right to take advantage of those holes.
I would like to apologize to the groups that felt disenfranchised throughout the process and I would like to extend an invitation to the leaders of these groups to come forward and meet with me personally, in order to ensure that their voice is fully heard.
Secondly, I would like to apologize to the Election Board, as they have been the targets of much criticism regarding this matter.
Finally, I would like to apologize to you all, the students, for having to go through all this. In no way should your election experience be ruined by these situations.
In the coming weeks, I personally vow to work closely with administration and any willing student to change the USAC Election Code. It is my hope that upon changing the code, incidents such as the ones that happened this week will never happen again, and that students are given a fair and just election.
Flores is a fifth-year political science student and former co-chair of Bruins United.