Emily Margolis, chairwoman of the Board of Elections, said Akintola and McIntosh's campaign was cited for misrepresenting an election issue and defacing campaign materials. The board also called for a complete financial audit of Akintola's campaign.
Margolis said senior class president candidate Paymon Rouhanifard filed a complaint Friday about newly posted fliers from Akintola and McIntosh's campaign.
Rouhanifard said Sunday that he went to the elections board to claim the new fliers misrepresented -- through a direct play off of his and running mate Robert Albright's campaign slogan -- the issue of making students' voices heard.
Rouhanifard and Albright's campaign fliers state, "Paymon and Rob, Make it Count," while Akintola and McIntosh's new fliers stated, "Make it Count More! Tinu and David." Rouhanifard said he thinks a negative spin has been put on his campaign and that he is upset that a misrepresentation has been conveyed to voters. "I was disappointed because we've had good relations with all the other candidates," he said. "It's been a pretty clean-cut campaign so far."
Margolis said the Student Code was written in a manner so student elections could be carried out in an ultimately positive way, and she said Akintola and McIntosh's recent campaign push cast a negative light on Rouhanifard and Albright's slogan.
But McIntosh, who designed the fliers, said the purpose of the fliers was more last-minute publicity before Tuesday's runoff election than political mudslinging. "I did not have the intention for a malicious harming of these guys," McIntosh said. "I felt I needed to inform everyone who was voting what distinguishes us."
The second violation arose after Akintola and McIntosh's fliers were found covering other candidates' campaign posters in various academic buildings. Akintola and McIntosh contend the fliers were placed appropriately throughout campus and that the fliers were moved without their consent. McIntosh said he is doing everything in his power to make sure all the fliers are removed by today.
Margolis said Akintola told her Sunday that about 150 fliers were printed out before they were posted. But when Margolis later discovered that more than 800 were produced, Margolis said the board fined Akintola and McIntosh for the second violation. "After that was proved, all defenses were placed at face value."
Brian Fauver, elections board vice chairman, said a financial audit was called for Akintola and McIntosh's campaign because they were unable to account for the amount of fliers they produced.
