THE CAMPUS Electoral Board of the Cagayan State University Andrews campus has declared failure of election in the 2020 Student Council balloting because of low turnout allegedly caused by some ‘poll tricks’ and vote buying attempts.

The CEB said that only 1,504 students or 27% of the total 5,576 voting population of the campus voted on Wednesday, September 16.

Under Section 5(b), Article I, of the OEB, “The CEB must motu proprio (even without a formal request from another party) declare a failure of elections if less than 50 percent plus one of the voting population casted their votes in any elections.”

Some students claimed they did not vote because of alleged vote-buying attempts and the unauthorized resolution disqualifying some candidates.

They said they were also displeased with the surprise decision by the electoral board to add new candidates on the day of the election.

According to the official student newspaper, The CSU Communicator, professors in the College of Hospitality Management urged their students to vote for particular candidates in the presidential and senatorial positions in exchange for ten or twenty points in activities and quizzes.

The unofficial documents were allegedly signed and passed by the “rogue” commissioner and were forwarded by the disqualified presidential aspirants.

Commission on Elections Chairperson Richard Cama described the poll trick an illicit move and a mockery of the electoral board and further condemned the publishing of an unauthorized list of candidates.

“I do not wish to tolerate this kind of mockery on the electoral board and the election process. The incident shall be investigated immediately. We will exhaust all possible remedies to go after those who acted beyond USCF Constitution and By-Laws and the Omnibus Election Code,” Cama said in a statement.