Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 3 regarding the process of filing an appeal. 

Florida Atlantic University’s Student Government elections have officially ended, nearly a month after the official vote, with Darsham Gonzalez and Kade Salzer of the “Atlantic Party” declared president and vice president for the upcoming fall semester.

Their opponents, Jean Luma and Ellie Raab, initially won the popular vote according to the unofficial results but were disqualified after the Elections Board found them in violation of campaign bylaws. Although Luma and Raab appealed the ruling, the SG Student Court upheld the decision during a March 21 meeting.

Luma and Raab filed an appeal with the court to overturn their case that was approved by Chief Justice Nicholas Silano but was later ruled against by the Student Court on March 21 before going to a hearing. The court ruled they would no longer be accepting appeals regarding the election as they stated it was past the deadline for submissions. The presidential campaigns caused controversy among FAU students, with both parties filing complaints against each other. 

During a Greek Life event at FAU’s Student Union on Feb. 5, Luma and Raab distributed around 50 campaign t-shirts to attendees, an act that the Atlantic Party and Supervisor of Elections Nick Stone argued was a violation of the SG bylaws. Luma, being a presidential candidate and part of the Sigma Chi fraternity himself, also contributed to the claims that the event would bring major votes for his campaign. 

The Atlantic Party submitted a contestation on Feb. 8, but it was not reviewed until after the elections ended on Feb 28.

According to Student Government Election Statutes 319.300 on major violations, 319.300(p) prohibits party events that are not approved by the Student Union and the Supervisor of Elections, Nick Stone.

Following this accusation, Luma and Raab also filed violations against their opponents regarding treasury reports. 

“This is not about fairness; it’s an attempt to overturn the will of the students,” Raab and Luma wrote in an official statement. “We stand by the integrity of this election, and we will not allow political tactics to silence your decision.”

Both candidate pairs denied the University Press’ requests for comment. 

The Elections Board reviewed the complaints made by both campaigns following the end of elections on Feb. 28. Luma and Raab’s campaign was found to be in greater violation by Stone, leading to the Board’s decision to disqualify them. 

Stone did not respond to requests for comment by time of publication. 

“After a formal hearing that followed all election rules, the Elections Board found our opponents responsible for a major violation,” the Atlantic Party wrote in an official statement. “According to the statutes, the only possible penalty for this violation was disqualification.” 

According to Student Government Election Statutes 319.000 on sanctions and violations, 319.110 lists one of the possible sanctions for a major violation as disqualification from the election.

With this year’s campaigns resulting in one of the highest voter turnouts in FAU election history – according to Luma and Raab’s statement – he assured he will continue to contest the verdict to defend the voters’ decision. “We will keep going. We will keep fighting. The student body has spoken, and we will ensure that your voices are heard,” he wrote. 

The Atlantic Party’s statement assured their respect for the election process and commitment to fairness. “To those who supported us, thank you. To those who didn’t, we simply ask – should FAU’s student government be led by those who think the rules don’t apply to them?” the statement read.

Madeline Cruz is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email madelinecruz2023@fau.edu.