Allegations taint MSA election

Newly elected Michigan Student Assembly President Trent Thompson may have violated the MSA Election Code when he allegedly solicited votes at a fraternity party last Tuesday night.

Thompson was motioning students toward a laptop computer and telling them to vote for him while they were logged on to the MSA voting Website, an anonymous source told The Michigan Daily. According to paragraph 61 of the MSA Election Code, "nor shall any person influence any student while he or she is voting."

"He was saying he wanted people to vote for him and to do it right there," said the source, who claimed to have witnessed the alleged incident. "The Website was up the entire night. He was like a businessman and telling them, 'Come vote for me, it's really easy.' He watched the whole time and he encouraged people to vote for him."

The Election Code also states "no one shall campaign within 50 feet of a polling site." A personal computer is considered a polling site only when the online voting is booted up, said Rules and Elections Chair Josh Trapani.

"It would be a violation if the election site was loaded up and then the voters were influenced by a candidate," Trapani said. "It's the same as if someone were at a paper polling site telling people to vote for them."

The penalty for violation of paragraph 41.62 is expulsion from the elections.

Thompson, an LSA junior, denied any wrongdoing and said he was not asking people to specifically vote for him.

"I went to my own fraternity party," Thompson said. "If people wanted to vote, they could vote. I was not telling them how to vote or who to vote for. I never said to vote for me near the laptop."

Another witness said Thompson's campaigning made her feel uncomfortable.

"Trent came out into the hall and he asked if everyone had voted and then asked if anyone would like to vote because he had a computer set up," the witness said. "It was implied that if you were going to vote, you would vote for Trent Thompson. I did not go because I was going to vote for Ryan (Friedrichs) and didn't want to do it in front of Trent."

LSA sophomore Rochelle Macnowski, who was present at the party, said Thompson did nothing wrong.

"He set up his computer in a bedroom in the house," Macnowski said. "I got some of my friends and said that a computer was available. I said my friend Trent was running but that they could vote for anyone."

Thompson and his running mate LSA first-year student Sarah Chopp defeated independent candidates Ryan Friedrichs, an LSA junior, and Albert Garcia, an LSA sophomore, by 85 votes in the MSA presidential election last week.

Although rumors have been circulating among MSA representatives and candidates regarding the alleged campaign violations, no investigation has been launched because no one has come forth with evidence, said Elections Director Rajeshri Gandhi.

"My position is that there is not enough information for us to investigate," Gandhi said. "All we have right now is unsubstantiated rumors. If someone comes forward, that will require our looking into it."

The addition of online voting last year has made monitoring MSA election regulations more difficult because students can now vote from anywhere and at anytime during the two days of elections.

LSA representative Brian Reich said he furnished Thompson with the laptop, and the campaigning at the fraternity house, where alcohol was served, was planned beforehand.

Reich said he and Thompson followed the rules and ensured that no campaign materials came within 50 feet of the computer.

"Trent and I put (the computer) in a room and told people that they could vote," Reich said. "All we did was set up a polling site. He was at the party campaigning. None of the votes were gotten illegally. Trent didn't break any rules."

03-25-98