By Marijke Friedman and Natalie Weger
The University of Maryland SGA’s governance board announced Tuesday that the elections commission must reinvestigate an election violation claim against Terps for Israel.
A student submitted a violation claim to the commission on March 31 that said Terps for Israel broke election rules by bribing students to vote unfavorably on the divestment referendum on this spring’s Student Government Association ballot, according to documents obtained by The Diamondback.
Terps for Israel, which did not officially endorse a ticket in this month’s election, offered students free Chipotle and Chinese food if they voted unfavorably on the referendum, according to Instagram posts earlier this month. Terps for Israel did not respond to The Diamondback’s request for comment.
Bribery results in a 100-point penalty and the disqualification of the ticket, according to SGA election rules. But the elections commission originally decided it did not have the power to sanction Terps for Israel because it is an unaffiliated student group that did not officially endorse a ticket, the documents read.
In an appeal to the governance board, the student who filed the violation report argued that the commission has jurisdiction over unaffiliated student organizations when they attempt to influence election outcomes.
“With the Elections Commission refusing to pursue this obvious case of bribery, it is creating a significant loophole in the Election Rules that unaffiliated student organizations are allowed to bribe students with food and drinks and that there is no form of repercussions for it,” the appeal read.
[UMD SGA commission finds students were bribed to vote unfavorably on divestment referendum]
The student’s appeal also urged the board and commission to revoke Terps for Israel’s SGA recognition for one year and to issue clear guidance about third-party involvement in elections.
The governance board discussed the appeal on Thursday and later unanimously agreed that the commission has jurisdiction over the actions of unofficial collaborators. The board sent the case back to the commission so it can reinvestigate the election violations claims against Terps for Israel.
The board also recommended SGA clearly establish in its election rules that the commission has jurisdiction over SGA-affiliated organizations and outline specific penalties for organizations that commit violations.
The governance board declined to comment on the case and decision. The elections commission did not respond to a request for comment.
During the SGA election earlier this month, students voted on whether to call on the University System of Maryland Foundation and University of Maryland College Park Foundation to divest from certain defense, military and security companies in a referendum question.
[UMD students campaign ahead of SGA divestment referendum]
If approved, the question would require SGA to begin lobbying the university system foundation and UMCP foundation to divest from companies that may be implicated in human rights violations, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
The SGA has not yet published the election results.
This most recent election violation claim investigation comes after the commission’s announcement last Thursday that Terps Vote No, a coalition of students who oppose the referendum, bribed students to vote against the divestment referendum during the election.
This university’s Christians United for Israel chapter — an official endorser of the Our College Park ticket — was closely involved with the Terps Vote No organization’s free Celsius drink distribution to students who voted unfavorably on the divestment referendum, SGA previously ruled.
Our College Park wrote in a statement to The Diamondback on Thursday that the ticket cannot control who endorses them or the actions of individuals not associated with the ticket.
Students at this university have heightened their calls for divestment since Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage on its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to Associated Press. Israel declared war on Hamas the next day and its military forces have killed more than 51,000 Palestinians in Gaza since, the outlet reported Tuesday.
This university declined to comment on the election violation claims and the SGA election. It previously said in a Thursday statement to The Diamondback that the referendum’s results will have “no bearing on the operations or policies of the university or its foundations.”
