AMS Judicial Committee Findings
To whom it may concern,
On March 25th, 2024 the AMS Judicial Committee convened to hear the case of AMS v. AMS (Rector) Election Team, presented by the Judicial Affairs Manager for the complaint submitted by Leo Yang on February 8th, 2024. This report is released pursuant to section 4.6(IX), subsec. B, c(1) of the Policy Infringement Protocol. The committee has unanimously agreed on the following:
A violation of Section 5, subsec.(III) of the Rector Election Policy has taken place, given that there is no evidence exists to suggest that the order of candidates on the rector election ballot was randomized.
However, the committee unanimously agrees that this does not threaten the integrity of the election. The committee reasons that given the election only had two candidates; each candidate would have had a 50% chance in being placed first on the ballot. As far as the committee is concerned, a lottery could have resulted in Niki Boytchuk-Hale being placed first and the ballot would have been identical to the one presented in this election season.
As such, the AMS Judicial Committee upholds the results of the Rector Election and wishes to congratulate Niki Boytchuk-Hale on becoming the 39th Rector of Queen’s University.
The AMS Judicial Committee has imposed the following sanctions:
1. Educational Sanction | The Internal Affairs Office should add a note on the violations committed during the election season in the transition manuals presented to the incoming staff, to bring attention of the potential violations and how to prevent them.
Furthermore, the AMS Judicial Committee recommends that the AMS and SGPS conduct an internal review of Rector Election Policy and strengthen the relationship between the respective electoral teams for stronger collaboration.
The AMS Judicial Committee would also like to congratulate the AMS Election Team on the election engagement as observed in the voter turnout. We recognize the efforts of all members of the AMS Election Team and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours. Their commitment to student engagement is unparalleled. We thank the AMS Election Team for promoting student democracy.
Additionally, the AMS Judicial Committee would also like to extend a special note of thanks to the Judicial Affairs Manager for upholding the integrity of the elections, and her commitment to holding our institutions accountable on behalf of the student population. The AMS Judicial Committee would like to congratulate the Office on its 125th anniversary and looks forward to supporting the Judicial Affairs Office in its endeavours in the upcoming years.
Finally, the AMS Judicial Committee would like the affirm that under no circumstance, will it ever entertain questions on the validity of individual votes or requests to eliminate votes from an election. The AMS Judicial Committee strongly condemns such requests and views them as undemocratic posing a threat to the integrity of our electoral processes.
We wish all the involved parties the best of luck,
The AMS Judicial Committee