The two tickets that will advance to Wednesday's Marquette Student Government general election for president and executive vice president are Alex Hermanny and Beth Feste and Brant McCartan and Sara Kandler. However, results of the March 9 primary election were delayed due to several campaign violations among the four tickets.

Hermanny and Feste, College of Arts & Sciences juniors, received 39.4 percent of the more than 2,000 votes cast, and McCartan, a College of Health Sciences junior, and Kandler, a College of Arts & Sciences junior, received 26.6 percent.

Andrew Mays, a College of Arts & Sciences junior, and Kelly Bartzen, a College of Business Administration sophomore, received 18.2 percent. College of Arts & Sciences juniors Megan McNamee and John Dollerschell garnered 12.3 percent. These two tickets will not advance to the general election.

The results, scheduled to be released at a 2 p.m. press conference Thursday, were delayed until Friday afternoon while each ticket appealed alleged campaign violations.

Although the Elections Committee examined several violations, the major violation was brought against the McCartan-Kandler ticket by other campaigns.

According to the MUSG constitution, each team running in the election receives a $500 budget.

However, the McCartan-Kandler team spent $160.16 over its allotted funds, according to the Elections Committee findings and MUSG documents.

The team was docked eight percentage points in the primary election, a decision that was upheld by the Elections Appeals Committee after several appeals.

The committee's conclusion was based on the receipts submitted by the McCartan-Kandler team and other tickets, as ruled in the constitution.

The committee checked the prices of T-shirts and buttons in question at three comparable manufacturers, including the one used by the McCartan-Kandler ticket, and found higher prices than those on the receipts.

McCartan said the student discount he and his running mate received could have been used by other candidates.

Other tickets wanted fairness.

"We were made aware that the playing field wasn't exactly level," Feste said.

"The violation wasn't very huge, but it was necessary to show there is a commitment that people stick to rules," Hermanny said.

Another violation caused the subtraction of two percentage points the McNamee-Dollerschell team received because one of its workers allegedly campaigned on the bridge at the John P. Raynor, S.J. Library when the polls were open, which is against established rules.

Additional allegations against the McNamee-Dollerschell ticket included illegal chalking outside of Cobeen Hall. The Hermanny-Feste ticket was accused of illegal door-to-door campaigning at Cobeen and O'Donnell halls. Both allegations were dismissed due to lack of evidence and time limits on appeals.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 15 2005.