Candidates running for executive positions at U of T Students’ Union can now be punished for challenging the elections officer’s authority. This amendment to the Elections Procedure Code is one of several passed at a board meeting on Feb. 12, two weeks before nominations start for next year’s executives.

According to meeting attendees, the amendment to the campaign Fair Play policy was the most contentious. The policy now stipulates that “any attempt to undermine the authority of the CRO and/or the [Elections and Referenda] Committee” is a punishable offence.

Candidates are also no longer allowed to distribute goods while campaigning, reversing a past rule that let them give out items worth a maximum of one dollar. They are forbidden to campaign in areas where alcohol is served, which includes Hart House, the Cat’s Eye at Victoria College, and the Sanford Fleming building, home of the engineering faculty.

Current UTSU president Sandy Hudson and VP university affairs Adam Awad both dropped out of the elections and referenda committee, with Hudson saying she would likely be unable to be impartial. The move fuels already lingering speculation that Awad is angling himself for a run at the presidency, and that Hudson will help manage his campaign.

Hudson also announced that she will be taking up a post as the chair of the Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Proponents of the Fair Play amendment said it would help to prevent abuse of the election code, which some board members say may have happened in past years. UTSU also hopes it will ensure that Dave Blocker, who has been hired as chief returning officer, won’t be afraid to take action against a candidate who is spreading libel or slander.

Other board members said the rule unfairly empowers the CRO and places further restrictions on free speech during election season.

“Many board members at the meeting felt that the UTSU had essentially criminalized dissent,” said Zayne Dattu, a representative from Victoria College. “The concern of many of the board members was that the CRO and/or the elections and referenda committee could punish candidates that criticized them.”

Steve Masse, an ex-officio meeting attendee and current president of the Woodsworth College Students’ Association, called the changes “undemocratic” but said that the UTSU’s intent was likely not malicious.

“I believe that the intention of the elections and referenda committee was to ensure that the CRO was not the victim of harassment,” he said. “Instead, they have effectively made criticism of the CRO against UTSU policy.”

Gabe De Roche said that according to the new rule, his Feb. 4 article in The Varsity could be construed as undermining the CRO. De Roche used The Economist’s Democracy Index Questionnaire to assess how democratic the UTSU is and concluded that it is a “Flawed Democracy.” While arts and science representative Dmitri Apostolopoulos said he didn’t consider the article a violation of policy, engineering representative Rishi Maharaj said the rule allows the CRO to deem it a violation.

“The wording is too broad and puts too much stock in the good judgement of the CRO,” Maharaj said.

Note: this article originally appeared online, and has been updated to reflect the expanded version that ran in the Feb. 22 print edition.