Hiking up Bruin Walk, many UCLA students receive a handful of
fliers, especially during undergraduate student government election
season, and the cost of the casually distributed campaign materials
can add up to quite a bit of money.
This year, candidates spent a total of $20,624.53 on campaign
materials, including fliers, T-shirts and Bruin Walk sign
boards.
The Undergraduate Students Association Council Election Board
tallies candidate spending by calculating the market value of each
candidate’s expenses. Most candidates get materials donated
or receive discounts, but the Election Board counts those as if the
candidate actually spent the money.
Troy Isaac, an independent presidential candidate and third-year
political science student, spent more money on campaign materials
than each slate’s combined members.
Slates, which are groups of students who run together to
increase their chances of winning, often share the cost of printing
thousands of fliers by including all slate members on one
flyer.
According to the Election Board’s calculations,
Isaac’s total campaign expense, including his sign board, was
$6,956.41, about 34 percent of the total spent campaigning.
In reality, Isaac only spent the money he received in donations
““ $2,850.32 ““ but the report issued by the Election
Board accounts for the market value of all campaign expenses, Isaac
said.
The amount Isaac spent on his campaign astounded some other
candidates.
“I can’t imagine what (Isaac) spent all of that
money on,” said Ravi Dehar, an independent candidate for
Campus Events commissioner and third-year English student.
All candidates were required to file an estimated expense report
outlining their campaign budgets and what they have spent and will
spend money on.
Six independent candidates failed to file their expense reports
with the Election Board and were disqualified as a result. None of
the candidates have challenged the disqualification.
Dehar opted to sign on to a voluntary spending cap, which limits
the amount each candidate can spend on their signboard and
campaigning costs, because he said he knew he would not spend more
than $400 on his campaign, and he wants to keep campaigns
affordable.
Of all the candidates, only Dehar and three others signed on to
the cap.
Isaac said a printing company gave him at-cost prices on
printing and paper for all of his shirts and fliers. Isaac also had
4,800 water bottles donated for his campaign, and he only had to
pay CRV and sales tax on the water.
Most candidates were able to fund their campaigns with
donations, so individuals had to contribute little personal money
to their campaign expenses.
Dehar spent a relatively small $141.64 on all of his campaign
materials, but he has an advantage over other more partisan
candidates.
Bruins United and Students First! slates both include Dehar on
their fliers, offering him free advertising so he can focus on the
finer points of his campaign.
“I spent a lot of time, and not necessarily money, on my
campaign. I hope that if I win it will send the message that you
don’t need to spend a lot of money to run for office,”
Dehar said.
Dehar said he is worried that if candidates start to spend large
sums of money on campaigns it might discourage students from
running for office.
Slate Refund presidential candidate Garin Hovannisian, a
third-year history student and a former Daily Bruin columnist, said
he would have liked more donations for his campaign, but he does
not necessarily think having a lot of money is necessary for a
win.
“A very small slate with a very big message can get their
message heard. … If candidates are committed to their beliefs,
they can get their message out” without spending a lot of
money, Hovannisian said.