Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Entertainments candidate Luke Rynne Cullen has been sanctioned by the Electoral Commission for a breach of the election rules.
In an email statement to The University Times, Rynne Cullen explained that he received the fine for a student endorsing him in a Facebook group for nurses. ” I was unaware of this and apologise to other candidates for this”, Rynne Cullen said.
In an email statement to The University Times, the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Stephen Sheil, said that there would be no online penalty for this breach.
Schedule 3 of the TCDSU Constitution outlines all sabbatical election regulations. The Electoral Commission then decides to issue a strike based on the breach in regulation.
On Tuesday, presidential candidate Daire Hennessy was fined for a breach of the constitution.
Last week, both McCay and McCarthy were sanctioned due to flattering notes posted about them on the popular Facebook page, Trinder.
Donal MacNamee and Rynne Cullen were also sanctioned by the Electoral Commission last week with minor breaches. Rynne Cullen had to take his campaign offline for a short period for making an artist a co-host on his event online. MacNamee’s campaign team wore campaign t-shirts in unauthorised areas, in breach of the rules. Presidential candidate Laura Beston also received a strike prior to the start of the elections. As a result, she was forbidden from launching her online campaign until two hours after other candidates on Monday.
The election period started last Monday, opening with Dining Hall hustings. Canvassing on the ground began on Tuesday, with hustings Tuesday and Thursday evening.
Voting began on Monday night in Halls after the final hustings held in Dartry. Students were able to vote on campus for the first time on Tuesday and voting will end today.
