Honor Code violation snarls BYU election

PROVO — A very public Honor Code violation has sidelined two more Brigham Young University students.

This time, though, they aren't athletes.

And one didn't even commit a violation.

SIZE="2">BYU's honor code

Jason Smith handily won the primary election early last week and was favored to be BYU's next student-body president, but his ticket was disqualified when his vice presidential candidate, J. Griggs, withdrew.

Griggs dropped out of the race before the polls closed in the final election Friday after the Honor Code Office placed him on probation for violating curfew.

Smith and Griggs may never know if they earned a majority of the 5,123 votes cast by students because a BYU administrator has decided not to release the results. Instead, the BYU Student Service Association Elections Committee voted 7-1 to declare the other ticket, Adam Larson and Chrissie Sant, the winners.

"When J. withdrew from the election, the Smith-Griggs team was disqualified before the election process concluded," university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said. "Once the BYUSA elections committee voted to award the election to the other finalist team, the elections had concluded before the polls closed."

Candidates are told repeatedly that one member of a ticket cannot win without the other, Jenkins said.

Smith appealed the elections committee's decision, but his appeal was denied Monday.

Students continued to gather names Tuesday for a petition to present to Vern Heperi, the dean of student life. The petition asks Heperi to release the election results and install the top vote-getter as president.

However, Jenkins said Monday's review finalized the decision, and Smith refused to support the petition effort.

"At this point," Smith said, "I think what is best for all of us is that we get behind Adam and Chrissie, the next student-body president of BYU."

Smith says a second run next year, when he will be a senior, is a possibility. The political science major from Ashburn, Va., would remain on campus for an additional year to fulfill a dream.

"I don't know if I will run again, but it's definitely on the table," he said. "It's still an option."

Smith's dream appeared close to fruition March 1 when he and Griggs earned 30 percent of the primary vote. Larson and Sant finished with 21 percent. The two teams squared off in the final election, which began a week ago, with polls scheduled to close Friday at 5 p.m.