“Lights, Camera…”
Alleged Action Campaign Violations Surface on First Day of Voting
Update: When approached by The Link after this article was published Haddad refused to comment on the allegations.
Update: The Link has been unable to confirm that the voice on the audio is that of Leslie Riefer.
The Concordia Student Union election, which has already seen accusations of dirty campaign tricks, got even more controversial on Tuesday, as several allegations were made against members of Action, including presidential candidate Khalil Haddad.
“At my class at 10:15, [a guy] came in, and [the words] “Lights, Camera” were already written on the board,” said student Rachelle Dunn.
“He came in and said, ‘You know, it’s election time, and I want to remind everyone to vote.’ He never actually said what he was running for, but it was obvious. His [blue Action] t-shirt was turned inside out – it was clear he was running for Action. He said ‘Let’s vote everyone. Lights, camera, what comes after that?’” and then he just left.
Though she could not initially identify the individual, in an email to The Link Dunn said that a classmate told her the candidate who came in was Haddad.
Several students have also complained that despite campaigning having ended on Monday at 6 p.m., they are still being approached near polling stations and in classrooms by candidates in blue shirts.
“I was standing at the polling station [in the Hall building lobby],” said student Corey Pool. “It was around 10:30 a.m., they were just setting up and a group of people showed up. From what I recognized, they were people from Action,” including CSU Council candidate Ariel Dabora and Haddad. “They were standing around giving props and hugs to people.”
Pool gave The Link an audio clip he recorded for a class project, on which a voice which has been identified as that of Action VP Clubs and Promotions candidate Leslie Reifer is heard saying “Do you guys want to get some action, or what? Vote Action.”
If the allegations prove true, they are a serious breach of campaign rules. Chief Electoral Officer Oliver Cohen refused to comment, beyond saying “If there’s a contestation pending, we will deal with it.”
Haddad did not return numerous phone calls seeking comment.
