As the elections come to a close, two candidates were found guilty of three out of four charges brought forth by opposing candidates. Syrabi Rahman and Diane Kim were prohibited from campaigning and told they must take their signs down for 24 hours, according to a decision released Wednesday by the Undergraduate Student Government (USG).
The three violations were USG officials campaigning on behalf of a ticket, improper use of a USG position to enhance a campaign and the use of a non-USC individual to create and distribute campaign content.
Jad Kilani and Jeremiah Boisrond accused the duo of a fourth violation — allowing current USG officers to engage with campaign content on social media. The judicial council found them not guilty due to the inability to control who likes their posts.
“This standard, however, would constitute an overbroad and unworkable burden,” wrote the council.
During their campaign, two current USG officers helped Rahman and Kim place campaign signs on Trousdale Parkway. This was confirmed by photographic evidence provided by Kilani and Boisrond, according to the judicial council ruling .
This act was in violation of Article IV, Sections IV.F.1.A. and IV.F.1.B. of the USG Elections Code.
Though the defendants later admitted the act, the council noted a prior conversation between the two and a member of the judicial council, who told them that the action was permissible under the election code.
This conversation took place a week before campaigning began.
Kim was specifically accused of using her position as USC Wellness chair to show support for her campaign. Evidence shows that the USC Wellness Instagram account liked multiple posts from the ticket account.
This act was in violation of Article X, Section XI.G of the Elections Code.
In their final violation, Rahman and Kim used photographer Candice Li, a member outside of the student body, for campaign photos.
This is in violation of articles VIII.B.1 and IV.E. of the elections code.
The council found that the use of Li’s photography gave the candidates an “unfair advantage for their campaign and ticket advancement.”
The council ordered that as a result of these violations, Rahman and Kim must “immediately remove all posts, stories and profile pictures that contain material produced by a non-USC undergraduate student from their campaign Instagram account” and “may not place any other material on Trousdale Parkway for the remainder of the election.”
“We respect the Judicial Council’s decision and the processes that followed,” wrote Kilani and Boisrond in a statement to Annenberg Media. “From the beginning, our focus has been on ensuring a fair and accountable election process for all candidates. The Elections Code exists to protect the integrity of USG, and we believe it’s important that all campaigns operate within those standards. Our focus has always been on engaging with our student community and informing them of our platform, and that’s what we intend to continue.”
Rahman and Kim did not respond to requests for comment.
Students can learn more on the full extent of this decision on the USG website.