ASUC officials and affiliated student groups are facing scrutiny and official challenges for sending out mass e-mails advising students on how to vote in the recent recall election of Senator John Moghtader.

ASUC Attorney General Michael Sinanian filed a charge sheet before the ASUC Judicial Council on Tuesday alleging that the Jewish Student Union and Israel Action Committee sent out e-mails urging students to vote no on the recall, in possible violation of election rules.

Sinanian said he is also continuing to investigate similar possible violations by officials and other student groups.

ASUC bylaws say student groups may not "endorse, fund, or otherwise take action positively or negatively on campaigns for propositions in ASUC elections."

Sinanian said he plans to file a motion to settle with the Jewish Student Union, but will continue to pursue charges against the Israel Action Committee.

"I'm going to enter a settlement with the JSU," he said. "It's difficult to ascertain whether or not a violation took place. Either way they need to clear what their intentions were."

But the Israel Action Committee will still face a hearing next week for an e-mail sent to their listserv, said ASUC Judicial Council Interim Chair Kiira Johal.

The e-mail stated: "The slanderous and vague accusations made against (ASUC Senator John Moghtader) are a baseless and pathetic attempt by anti-Israel groups to silence the strongest pro-Israel senator ... VOTE NO."

A decision is expected next week.

Terms of the agreement with the Jewish Student Union will include a reprimand and will be worked out starting today, Sinanian said.

Jewish Student Union President Tara Raffi said Tuesday the e-mail was a statement against the expense of the recall election, rather than an endorsement for or against the recall itself.

Sinanian said he is currently looking into an ASUC senator who may have advocated for a particular side during the recall, in violation of the bylaws.

In addition, ASUC External Affairs Vice President Dionne Jirachaikitti forwarded an open letter from a student, senior Dina Omar, in support of the recall while using her personal UC Berkeley e-mail address.

In the letter, Omar alleged that Moghtader assaulted her during the Eshleman Hall incident in November.

"It was very informational because she was there at the time of the event," Jirachaikitti said.

Though she stressed the e-mail was sent as a student and did not identify her as an ASUC official, the letter included an e-mail signature of Adi Afek identifying her as the ASUC Executive Vice President's Chief of Staff.

Afek and Executive Vice President Krystle Pasco could not be reached for comment.

Sinanian said it was important to him that people be held accountable for violating bylaws.

"I will be investigating and pursuing any violations of our bylaws in this recall," he said.

ASUC Awaits Results Of Moghtader Recall While Dispute Over Publicity Continues

The unprecedented recall election of ASUC Senator John Moghtader concluded Tuesday, but voters may have to wait up to a week before results are released.

The delay in determining election results is in part because votes have not yet been sorted by the technical staff, who must review voter data before a tally can be made, said ASUC Elections Council Chair Emily Liedblad.

ASUC Attorney General Michael Sinanian said the results could be available by tomorrow at the earliest.

Voter participation has also been important in determining enthusiasm for the controversial recall.

Many students interviewed on campus during the recall said they were unaware of or indifferent to the election. In total, 3,786 students turned out to vote in the recall.

Turnout for the recall was lower than what is typical for the general ASUC election, which usually attracts more than 30 percent of students.

A two-thirds majority vote in favor of the recall is necessary to remove Moghtader from office.

Since the beginning of the recall process in December, the legitimacy and publicity tactics of the election have faced Judicial Council challenges, and more are expected.

In spite of the controversy, officials said the two election days passed with relatively little trouble.

"The election went really smooth. Everything was in its place," Liedblad said. "The Elections Council pulled off the election."

However, officials said they think the disputes regarding the election are far from over.

One Judicial Council suit is pending against a student group that allegedly told its members how to vote in the recall, which violates ASUC bylaws. Such disputes will likely continue to accompany the recall process, Sinanian said.

"I'd say it's likely more charge sheets will be filed," he said.

Tags: ELECTIONS COUNCIL, JUDICIAL COUNCIL, RECALL ELECTION, JOHN MOGHTADER, JEWISH STUDENT UNION, ISRAEL ACTION COMMITTEE