The student elections are over, and the candidates have officially stepped into their new positions. Fair play was the rule for all of the candidates this year, as election officials reported no campaign violations. 

According to Elections Chair Lindsey Pullum, a senior in political science, none of the candidates had any officially recorded violations of policy during the election that warranted punishment. 

During the Student Government elections, candidates and members of the student body are asked to report any policy violations to the Election Committee.  Policy violations are stipulated by the N.C. State University Student Body Statues, a document all candidates are given before the election.

“Anyone can file a report.  People can anonymously tip us and we investigate it, but if the people in question are following policy by our interpretation, then they are not in trouble,” Pullum said.

According to Pullum, there is not going to be a final violations report written or put on the Student Government website because there were no violations serious enough to warrant any trouble.

There was one indiscretion during the election this year, but the Elections Committee chose to handle it in-house rather than file an official report.

Paul McCauley, a graduate student in sociology and anthropology, wanted to run for the Student Media Board of Directors but failed to turn in some of the proper paperwork.  This prevented him from running in the election.

Although none of the candidates were punished due to an official violation, Alex Compton, a junior in political science who ran for Student Body president, received a violation because some of his campaign signs were broken and propped up against a tree. 

Broken signs are a violation of sign rules candidates are required to follow.  The report was filed, but Compton was not punished for the offense because there were widespread reports of broken campaign signs.

“He just got a warrant to move his signs.  So many signs got broken in one week that it was just too ridiculous.  People just destroy signs all the time with no consideration to anything” Pullum said.

None of the candidates were cited for destroying one another’s signs, but according to Alex Grindstaff, who ran for Student Body president, it is not out of the realm of possibility.  Grindstaff, a junior in biological sciences, said it would be hard to believe that every candidate’s campaign was run fairly.

“I doubt there has ever been a year where every candidate ran a completely clean campaign.  If students didn’t come forward about it, I would hope that the elections committee would look into it” Grindstaff said.

It is also possible that random students are responsible for the vandalism.  Chandler Thompson, who was elected as Student Body president, said the candidates deserve the benefit of the doubt in regards to the vandalism.

“All the candidates were very respectful of the rules and very aware of all of the rules,” Thompson said.

The vandalism is hard to ignore despite the lack of a concrete source.  Thompson said she and several other candidates saw vandalism on their banners and signs. 

“I would give all of the candidates the benefit of the doubt.  I personally experienced vandalism and other candidates experienced it as well.  It could be a random student or it could have been a competitor; you just don’t know” Thompson said.