OUSA saga takes new twist

The tangled Otago University Students Association 2009 presidential election saga has taken another surprise twist, with disqualified president-elect Jo Moore yesterday accusing her successor of breaking one of the same campaign rules for which she was punished.

Miss Moore was disqualified for several breaches, including providing a laptop at a party at her house so guests could cast their online votes.

OUSA election rules say candidates cannot be within 20m of a polling booth, although there is still debate about whether every computer with Internet capabilities is automatically a polling booth.

She said yesterday she had been told Edwin Darlow took a laptop to Selwyn residential college and "got people to vote".

No-one filed a complaint with election returning officer Kyle Matthews, so Mr Darlow was not investigated, she said.

Miss Moore said she would have put in a complaint if the deadline had not passed.

Contacted yesterday, Mr Darlow denied taking a laptop to Selwyn College but said he had visited friends there.

He said he "knew everybody personally" at Selwyn, as he had lived there for two years before moving into a flat.

When asked further about whether he had helped or encouraged Selwyn students to vote, he said he had only watched friends, before the election, view the online voting screen.

Miss Moore said Mr Darlow sought advice from returning officer Kyle Matthews about whether he could take a laptop into Selwyn and invite students to vote.

Mr Matthews confirmed yesterday he had such a conversation with Mr Darlow.

"We did discuss the possibility of him setting up a laptop in residential colleges.

I advised him to be very careful about what he did.

I advised him people needed privacy when they voted."

Mr Matthews said he did not know whether Mr Darlow had visited Selwyn College or any other college, with or without a laptop.

Even if he had, no-one had complained, so Mr Darlow's elevation to president-elect was confirmed.

Mr Darlow said yesterday he would take on the president's role next year, after mulling it over since Miss Moore's disqualification on Monday.

"I'm looking forward to it, even though it certainly has not happened how I expected."

Asked his view on Miss Moore's plans to challenge her disqualification, he said he had no intention of getting involved.

Miss Moore said she planned to "submit something to the OUSA executive" from her lawyer challenging her disqualification, and was still considering seeking a judicial review in the courts.