This SGA election season has been fraught with controversy. At this point, both tickets have been disqualified. While RollTerps was the first to be disqualified, JusticeUMD has also surpassed the 100-point threshold.
The SGA Election Commission is the governing body for SGA elections and determines when a ticket is in violation of the election rules. After a violation is determined to have occurred, a ticket receives a point penalty and possible other ramifications. The way the point system for elections works is similar to how points against the driver’s license work. With each infraction, you receive a number of points equivalent to the severity of the infraction. If a ticket receives 100 or more points, they are disqualified.
In total, there have been 4 violations this year. JusticeUMD was cited once for “campaigning in bad faith,” which carries a 15-point penalty and a warning letter, on March 30. JusticeUMD followed with two more penalties for “campaigning prior to the official start of campaigning,” carrying-point penalties of 60 and 90. The first was on March 11 and included a 2-day campaigning freeze, while the second was on April 19 and resulted in their disqualification.
RollTerps received only one violation for “ticket collusion done in bad faith” on April 7, which carried a 100-point penalty and automatic disqualification. RollTerps have alleged that after a number of antisemitic incidents, they were unfairly disqualified.
After an antisemitic meme was posted anonymously, one of their VP candidates sent a text to a member of the JusticeUMD ticket, according to a member of the RollTerps ticket. The content of the text message has not been disclosed; however, members of the RollTerps ticket have cited it as the sole reason for JusticeUMD’s disqualification.
When a Mitzpeh staff writer spoke to members of the RollTerps ticket, they provided a timeline of the events from their perspective. After returning to campus in the wake of the antisemitic graphic being posted anonymously, members of the RollTerps ticket feared for their safety. One candidate even had to receive UMPD protection due to the number of threats against them. One of the vice presidential candidates from RollTerps sent a text message, describing it as an attempt to calm the rhetoric and discuss how to ensure the campaign environment remained safe for all involved. Screenshots then surfaced that they felt were antisemitic, including texts from members of the JusticeUMD ticket.
The screenshots of text messages obtained contain UMD students discussing, among other things, the current makeup of the SGA, Diamondback, and Mitzpeh articles, as well as sharing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. One example of the remarks that could be construed as being antisemitic is the parroting of the idea that Israel harvests organs from Palestinian and engages in human organ trafficking.
Jewish students on campus deserve to feel safe in their homes and when attending class. Jewish students on campus deserve to run for SGA without having antisemitic attacks leveled against them anonymously and in person. Jewish students on campus deserve to redress their grievances when other students parrot antisemitic talking points.
As both tickets have now been disqualified, it remains unclear who will run the SGA. SGA leadership and the body’s ability to function are key to student clubs receiving funding. As tensions continue to rise in the SGA debate over the Levant, it could be innocent student groups that end up paying the price.
