The Election Commission of the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA), Georgetown’s student government, investigated two executive campaigns for violating GUSA campaigning bylaws dictating flyering and spending limits, according to emails reviewed by The Hoya.
The Election Commission, which coordinates and adjudicates elections, penalized Darius Wagner (CAS ’27) and Nazgol Missaghi (CAS ’28) after receiving one complaint about electioneering through the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) Instagram page Oct. 16 and a second complaint about an Oct. 20 postering violation. The Election Commission also investigated a complaint filed Oct. 20 against Saahil Rao (SFS ’27) and Zadie Weaver (CAS ’28) for allegedly exceeding expenditure limits.
The commission found the Wagner/Missaghi ticket violated the flyering rules by postering outside Darnall Hall near Epicurean and Company, and barred the campaign from postering anywhere on campus for the remainder of the campaign period and moving their name to the bottom of the ballot during the voting period. However, after an appeal from Wagner, the commission said Tuesday morning the campaign could resume flyering at 8 a.m. Oct. 22.
The commission found no wrongdoing in the complaint against Rao/Weaver and closed the case Tuesday night. The commission concluded the Georgetown University Grilling Society (GUGS), with whom the campaign collaborated Oct. 17, did not provide in-kind or material donations that exceeded the contribution limit and the partnership amounted only to a “promotional collaboration.”
The Election Commission removed the Wagner/Missaghi posters Oct. 20, saying the campaign should be more conscious of the rules.
“We remind you to be aware of all rules before engaging in campaigning activities, and that further violations could result in increased sanctions including possible disqualification from the election,” the commission wrote in its email to Wagner and Missaghi.
Wagner said the commission’s response disappointed him and he wished they had been more transparent in communications.
“That cost us money, resources and time, and they took down something that was perfectly legal and within the speech and expression policy,” Wagner told The Hoya. “This lack of communication and immediate jump to sanctions, instead of communicating to our campaign, was just uncalled for, and it was wrong.”
The Election Commission cited the university’s Speech and Expression Policy, which governs where student groups can poster. The policy explicitly permits flyering on the exterior of Darnall Hall, among other locations.
“Flyers and posters should be posted only in the following designated areas: Red Square (not on walls adjacent to the ICC main entrance), Darnall, New South, Alumni Square and at the arches of Henle,” the policy reads.
The Election Commission initially opted not to penalize Wagner/Missaghi for the first complaint, which claimed Missaghi, while doing a “takeover” on the CAS Instagram account, posted a photo of herself and a number of other students pointing to campaign posters. After the campaign appealed the flyering complaint, the Election Commission maintained the ballot placement penalty in response to Missaghi’s post.
Rao, who submitted the postering complaint, said he felt the Wagner/Missaghi campaign was being dishonest.
“Our campaign was annoyed about what we saw as them not really trying very hard to follow the flying rules and us trying very hard,” Rao told The Hoya.
“I’m sorry for any distress that it caused them, but honestly, we just want to have a free and fair election, and I feel like part of that is when there are violations, referring them to the rulemakers,” Rao added.
Wagner sent a 10-page response to the commission defending his campaign’s actions and alleging inconsistent enforcement of postering rules.
“The alleged ‘violation’ is not a violation; the University’s Policy on Speech and Expression explicitly designates Darnall as a legitimate exterior posting area,” Wagner wrote in the email.
Wagner also said the Election Commission was acting inconsistently by failing to restrict other campaigns, including the Rao/Weaver ticket, for flyering activity that is not explicitly protected by university policy.
“The pillars in Lauinger 2, for instance, are not approved to display flyers or other postings, nor are repeat fliers permitted,” Wagner wrote. “Nonetheless, they persistently display large volumes of repeated GUSA and non-GUSA materials. Similarly, flyering in the stairwells and hallways of Lauinger, White-Gravenor and Healy is an accepted norm.”
“If the Election Commission were to suddenly reinterpret such placements as violations, it would invalidate dozens of current and past campaigns,” Wagner added.
The Speech and Expression Policy does not explicitly state where students may flyer inside buildings, instead saying “materials may only be posted on unenclosed public bulletin boards or kiosks” in academic and student spaces.
Senator Tina Solki (SFS, MSB ’26) issued the complaint against the Rao/Weaver campaign Oct. 20, alleging the campaign’s partnership with GUGS — which featured the “Rao-Burger” on the GUGS weekly menu — exceeded the $300 campaign spending limit outlined in the GUSA bylaws.
Solki said the Election Commission should consider the materials for the Friday grilling event as part of Rao/Weaver’s campaign expenditures.
“The materials (meat, buns, toppings, etc.) for this grilling event were, to our knowledge, purchased by the Grilling Society during a routine weekly Costco run,” Solki wrote in an email to the Election Commission. “Following the event, a member of the Grilling Society disclosed that groceries for weekly grills typically amount to a minimum of $600 per run.”
In a response to the commission, Rao said the accusation was baseless.
“Regardless, I accept the opportunity to present the true story: That the grill was a routine, weekly event hosted by GUGS, and never advertised by GUGS with the Rao-Weaver name attached,” Rao wrote in the email to the commission. “That there is no world where we can be held financially liable for $600 from this event, and that the examples outlined in Tina’s email are stretched and nowhere near analogous to the matter at hand.”
While GUGS did not promote the event itself, the Rao/Weaver Instagram post includes the GUGS logo and tags its account.
The commission said that since GUGS did not record “Rao-Burger” sales separately in its point-of-sale system, it was not a donation to the Rao/Weaver campaign.
Wagner said he is disappointed by the development into back-and-forth accusations and will focus on campaigning during the final three days of the election.
“This is all really silly. We are keenly focused on earning your support and getting our message out there,” Wagner said. “Because we’re really excited about our plan for Georgetown. We want students to know about what we’re doing, and we want to be focused on your issues, not play back and forth.”