SG unable to certify Jupiter gov election results
Emma Leonardo Solorzano was disqualified as the Jupiter governor for statute violations.
Emma Leonardo Solorzano.
February 24, 2023
Editor’s Note: The UP has updated this article as of Feb. 27. This article will be updated as information becomes available.
Student Government elections for Jupiter Governor could not be certified in the board certification meeting today due to campaign finance violations. Emma Leonardo Solorzano was elected as FAU’s Jupiter campus governor, however, she’s been disqualified.
After a campaign cycle, the Election Board reviews complaints, contestations, campaign financial documents and the unofficial election result to determine the official winner of the election.
The UP was notified by SG Supervisor of Elections Joseph Guzzi that the campaign contained “major campaign finance violations per our statutes” and, therefore, the race could not be certified.
Solorzano says she was disqualified for two violations of statutes.
“The first is a minor violation for failing to report campaign expenses by the noon deadline. The second is a major violation for exceeding the gubernatorial campaign spending limit of $1,000. I exceeded the spending limit by $25.82,” Solorzano wrote in an email.
Guzzi explains that the expense limit is established so candidates campaign at the same level with no possibility of influencing the election.
She admits to missing the noon deadline, and when she realized she hadn’t sum, she contacted Guzzi to submit her expenses.
Solorzano explained in the email that she ran a large campaign to promote friendly competition.
“I take full responsibility for exceeding my campaign expense limit by $25.82. While purchasing materials, I lost track of a purchase that put me over the limit. Overspending on my campaign was not done on purpose or with ill-intent. I wanted to be transparent regarding my campaign’s expenses, so I included the full amount when reporting them,” Solorzano wrote.
She says that she will appeal the board’s decision because she believes the violations did not influence the result of the election.
“My time in Student Government is far from over,” Solorzano wrote.
SG Chief Justice Benjamin Cohen said that the Student Court received an appeal from Solorzano. There will be an appeal hearing after spring break to meet minimum waiting times.
“This is dictated by Student Government Statute §615.340: ‘The hearing must occur at least five (5) academic days and no more than ten (10) academic days after the appeal has been filed.’ This is to give all parties involved in the hearing adequate time to prepare. There are only five academic days until Spring Break (02/27 – 03/03) so the hearing will be the week following Spring Break,” Cohen wrote in an email on Feb. 27.
The time, date, and location of the hearing has not been decided upon.
Jessica Abramsky is the News Editor for the University Press. For more information on this article or others, you can reach Jessica at [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @jessabramsky.
