Bruins United, Social Justice Referendum sanctioned for rule violations

The Bruins United slate and the Social Justice Referendum of 2016 were barred from campaigning late Sunday after failing to submit required funding paperwork to the Undergraduate Students Association Council Election Board in sanctions announced minutes before the first day of voting.

The Social Justice Referendum of 2016 was also cited for spending about $7,400 on campaign materials, which exceeded the campaign spending limit of $750.

Bruins United, one of three slates in this year’s USAC election, is running 11 candidates, including one for every contested position. The Social Justice Referendum aims to support student-run retention and outreach programs on campus. If passed, it will increase student fees by $24.99 per quarter to support these services.

As a result of the Sunday sanctions, Bruins United supporters are barred from campaigning until noon Monday for failing to disclose the source of the $7,300 spent on their campaign. Referendum supporters cannot campaign until 2 p.m. Monday for spending about $6,600 more than the limit and neglecting to submit funding documents for roughly $3,300 of the campaign’s expenses.

Apsara Perera, Bruins United slate manager, said the expense forms did not specify when candidates had to submit documents detailing the source of their funding.

Jazz Kiang, designated campaign representative for the Social Justice Referendum, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

When Election Board Chair Lindsay Allen informed Perera of the violation, Perera said all Bruins United candidates self-funded their campaign.

Representatives for the Social Justice Referendum must draft a revised expense report by 10 a.m. Monday that details which campaign materials, worth up to $750, they want to keep during election week, Allen said. She added representatives must also return all campaign materials that exceeded the spending cap to the Election Board office by 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Allen added the election board assigned a Tuesday deadline because it may not be feasible for the Social Justice Referendum representatives to turn in all excess campaign material to the Election Board office on Monday.

Students can vote in this year’s USAC election from 10 a.m. Monday through 3 p.m. Friday on MyUCLA.

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