The first electoral violation in this year’s Rideau River Residence Association executive election was issued Wednesday against independent vice-president (administration) candidate Davin Caratao.
Caratao, a first-year public affairs and policy management student, “omitted and/or forgot to add official tags or hashtags on campaign material that was posted on the candidate’s personal Instagram story,” according to a statement from the RRRA electoral office.
The elections office said it issued Caratao a verbal warning after he posted the Instagram story at 3:10 am on March 16.
In a statement to the Charlatan, Caratao said he reposted an Instagram Reel on his story without the appropriate tags.
“I realized my error in the morning … and I set to correct it immediately,” Caratao said. “I will not appeal this decision as I believe it is just and I believe that the electoral office should be empowered to be strict even irrespective of intent, to keep this election fair.”
“I am committed to not make another mistake over the process of this campaign and to sleep at a more reasonable time,” Caratao added.
A second violation of the electoral code results in a written warning from the elections office, and three or more violations warrants “serious disciplinary action,” which can include disqualification.
Campaigning for the RRRA executive election will continue over the weekend. Voting will be conducted via Carleton email and take place March 22 and 23.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the time Caratao posted on his story. Caratao posted on his story at 3:10 am, not 3:10 pm. The Charlatan regrets the error.
