Full Election Commission Wrap-Up

As promised, I want to give you all a full write-up on the Election Commission meeting from Monday. Those of you following my tweets know that I left the meeting furious with just about everyone. In full disclosure, I do not have a copy of the charges filed by Attorney General Andrew Miller, but I think I can surmise his arguments. If I do this unfairly, please let me know, and I'd be happy to correct it.

First, some background. As I have discussed before, I ran for NISG President in 2009. During the election, we were charged with early campaigning and, because of multiple factors, it ruined my campaign. I don't wish to re-try the case, but I do maintain our innocence to this day. The Supreme Court eventually prohibited us from campaigning for the final week, but that wasn't what doomed us. It was all of the time we couldn't spend with students because we were meeting with the Commission. It was the tainted publicity it gave our ticket.

On Friday, Andrew Miller charged the Walrath-Goldmsith campaign with early campaigning -- citing my Supreme Court case -- because of their promotion of the Interlude Dance. Miller argued that, because it gave Walrath-Goldsmith popularity during the race, it was early campaigning. This is obviously absurd.

Now, don't get me wrong. One of the reasons I'm hesitant about the Walrath-Goldsmith campaign is because of the Interlude Dance. In my humble opinion, it should not be on their website. It should not be mentioned during campaigning. I want my President and Vice President to be professionals who can lobby elected officials and trying to capitalize off a dance cannot further that goal. Then again, I lost my race, so take that advice with a grain of salt.

Digression over -- the dance itself doesn't matter. The Election Commission correctly (and as I predicted) laughed the charges out of the room, but that's not the point. Miller's aggressive and inappropriate actions have left a smear on this race. Walrath-Goldsmith was forced to take time away from students during one of the busiest times in their lives to defend a ridiculous charge. I've been in their situation. It's more than just the time to prepare your defense -- it's the weight left on you. Miller tried to destroy months of Walrath and Goldsmith's lives and, despite how confidant they should have been in winning this race, that thought consumes you. In real courts, lawyers are disbarred for bringing frivolous and merit-less charges. I wish the same went for NISG.

My anger does not end with Senator Andrew Miller. Before discussing the case, the Election Commission voted to close the meeting to all non-members. This spineless move denies transparency to the accused. Some may argue judges and courts deliberate in private, but they also delineate their reasoning in opinions. The Election Commission did not do this and, with the short time frame they were working in, doing so would have been impossible. To assure the integrity of the process, keep your doors open, Election Commission.

Miller messaged me after the case to announce he would not appeal the decision. Kudos to him for that choice, but shame on him for bringing this in the first place.