Vladimir Rakhmanin | Deputy Editor
A briefing was held today to announce the campaign managers for the impeachment referendum of Trinity College Students’ Union President (TCDSU) Tom Lenihan. The motion used will be: ‘Do you support the removal of the current SU President, from office?’
James Ringland, Social Secretary of Law Soc, will be running the NO side of the campaign, against the impeachment. No-one has come forward to run for the YES side of the campaign. The Electoral Commission (EC) will be overseeing the running of the referendum and the campaigning will begin at midnight on Friday 25th October and end at 8pm on Friday 1st November.
The briefing was held by Jack Leahy, Education Officer, and Ciara Coughlan, Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC). The meeting began with Leahy explaining that there was no opportunity for the YES side of the campaign to claim a budget from the SU as no campaign manager for this side has come forward.
He continued by stating that the goal of the EC was to ensure that there was a ‘fair, democratic process’. The campaign budget will be a total of 250 euro. It was noted that any complaints from inappropriate behaviour during lecture addresses or otherwise ‘will not be taken lightly’.
An outline of the rules of campaigning was subsequently given. Breaking college regulations will not be permitted, as are endorsements from societies. Campaigning is only permitted on campus, Trinity Halls and St. James’ Hospital, D’Olier Street and Tallaght Hospital. Campaigning in Trinity Halls must be pre-approved by the EC. Mailing lists are not permitted, and consent must be given before students are added to a campaign Facebook groups. Posting in class groups, as long as they are not open, is not permitted, despite the fact that the Chair of the EC noted that this particular regulation will be difficult to enforce.
There are three types of penalties that the EC can give to the campaign manager – a location penalty, a confiscation of materials, and a limit of online presence. The chair of the EC can request permission to access the campaign manager’s Facebook page.
When questioned about the absence of a YES side, the Chair of the EC, Ciara Coughlan, noted that it was an unusual situation as it would be difficult to regulate a social media presence without having any way to punish them. However, the ‘Impeach Tom Lenihan’ Facebook page is scheduled for deletion to ensure that the campaign is carried out fairly.
During the briefing, Lenihan voiced his concerns over media coverage, stating that being quoted as “will not comment” in national media is “damaging” and that he had no control over how journalists write their reports. The EC responded by saying that “each case will be taken on its own merits”.
Voting will take place in St. James’ Hospital, D’Olier Street & Tallaght Hospital on Wednesday 30th October and on campus 10am-8pm Thursday 31st and Friday 1st. The votes will be tallied that night and the result returned as soon as possible.
Additional reporting by Leanna Byrne
