Sophomore Will Hopping, who filed a complaint against student body president Maurice Grier on Feb. 26, filed an appeal today with the UNC Student Supreme Court, alleging the Board of Elections did not give a fair hearing.
The original decision by the BOE in Hopping v. Grier awarded the Grier campaign four points for three technology violations and one false start violation.
The appeal requests Hopping v. Grier and Muriuki v. Adkins be re-heard by the Student Supreme Court — and that Paul Kushner, chairperson of the UNC Board of Elections, and Luke Cullifer, the student solicitor general, be removed from office.
The original decision by the BOE in the Muriuki v. Adkins hearing awarded the Adkins campaign one point for one false start violation.
The appeal said Kushner and Cullifer showed bias toward Grier before the hearing took place on March 3.
"These Student Government Officers’ actions prior to the hearing directly affected the outcome of the hearing leading to a biased and unfair Student Body President election," the appeal said.
Recordings submitted into evidence by Grier include conversations Grier had with Kushner and Cullifer, which the appeal said show unequal advice given by Kushner and Cullifer that was not given to other candidates. The appeal also said the hearing decisions were biased as the decision did not follow precedent set in previous decisions.
"The actions taken by Mr. Kushner and Mr. Cullifer made a fair and impartial hearing an impossibility at the time and it remains an impossibility if heard by the Board of Elections," the appeal said.
