News Release: USUSA president runner-up calls for election integrity in formal report
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Feb. 26 at 5:50 p.m. This is an ongoing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
USUSA president runner-up Kapp McCallister released a formal report voicing concerns with the integrity of the USUSA Elections process. McCallister’s report was sent to Utah State President Brad L. Mortensen, current USUSA President Brandon Sorensen and USUSA Elections, with various college senators, members of USU’s Student Involvement & Leadership Center and other university officials copied as well.
McCallister, who lost the election by eight votes, said he is not contesting the final vote nor calling for a new vote.
He instead brought to light issues he believes compromise the USUSA Elections process.
“Certain actions taken during this election cycle undermined the integrity of the process and created unfair advantages,” McCallister wrote. “These concerns warrant formal review to preserve trust in future elections.”
The crux of his report centered around certain candidates receiving live voting data unavailable to all candidates or the general public. McCallister claimed certain candidates receiving “insider access” creates an unfair advantage by allowing that candidate to update their strategy in real-time based on confidential election data.
“This is not ordinary campaign strategy. It is a breach of the blind structure that protects electoral integrity,” McCallister wrote. “When one side knows how close the race is during an active polling, the system is no longer neutral.”
In an email to The Utah Statesman, the USUSA Elections Committee clarified which groups have access to the live voting data, though it did not provide specifics on individuals or positions with access. Additionally, the committee is not aware of any validity to McCallister’s claims that candidates received information prior to the polls closing.
“Those who have access to the data prior to polls closing involve select members of Student Affairs and the Student Involvement and Leadership Center,” the committee wrote. “We are currently not aware of any merit to Kapp’s claim. That said, we will conduct a review of the procedures pertaining to who has access to voting data and make any needed changes.”
According to the USUSA Elections Committee, select members have access to live voting data due to previous issues the voting process has had in the past.
“There have been voting issues in the past that we have been able to catch and correct through monitoring of the voting system, so select members of Student Affairs and the Student Involvement and Leadership Center monitor for potential inconsistencies or abnormalities in the votes to ensure good election practices,” the committee wrote.
Additionally, McCallister listed secondary grievances, claiming proxy voting misuse and bad faith grievance filings. McCallister claimed candidates or those campaigning for them physically cast votes on other students’ phones, violating “the principle of a private and independent ballot.” He also cited a surge in grievance reports, “many without substantive merit,” that were filed strategically in order to burden opposing candidates and their campaigns.
“These behaviors reflect poor judgment and diminish the spirit of fair competition,” McCallister wrote.
McCallister did not question the outcome of the election or advocate for different results in his report. He did, however, request a formal audit of data access logs regarding live vote totals, clear bylaws prohibiting the release of said data before polling ends and stronger preventative measures to reduce proxy voting.
“The conduct described above does not reflect the values of fairness, trust, and accountability that drew me [to Utah State],” McCallister wrote.
McCallister voiced his concerns to the USUSA Elections Committee prior to sending his report, though McCallister’s complaints did not fall under the proper jurisdiction.
“Prior to the email, the elections committee received a grievance from Kapp following the election announcement. However, it did not fall under the jurisdiction of the election grievances process,” the committee wrote.
In direct response to McCallister’s email and report, the USUSA Elections Committee informed him they are going to investigate his claims.
“We care about the integrity of our elections and the people who engage in the process,” the email response stated. “We will review your concerns and respond more fully, copying the appropriate administrators.”