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Somarakis submits complaint

Former candidate says alleged fraud made election unfair

By Matt Dulin
The Daily Cougar

Responding to the allegations of fraud against recently re-elected Student Government Association President Dawona Miller, former presidential hopeful Nick Somarakis filed an official complaint with the Dean of Students Office, claiming that the previous election was unfair.

Lorrie Novosad/The Daily Cougar

In the complaint, Somarakis, who is the president of the UH Democrats organization, called for the overturning of the election results, in which Somarakis lost to Miller, 120 votes to 451. 

In an e-mail received Wednesday by The Daily Cougar, Somarakis said, "I have filed a complaint with the deanis office regarding the activities of Dawona Miller in the 2003 SGA election."

Miller filed her campaign finance document, the subject of the investigation, which also vouched for the Student Voice Party. Somarakis said the statement allowed for an unfair election.

"I feel that the actions she undertook gave her an upper hand in the past election and that resulted in an unfair election, therefore I filed the complaint," Somarakis said in the e-mail.

Somarakis could not be reached for further comment, and Miller declined to speak with a Daily Cougar reporter Wednesday.

Workers in the Dean of Students Office said the official complaint document was confidential and would be dealt with by Dean of Students William Munson.

Miller has not been found guilty of any of the allegations against her, which include falsifying a letter that claimed financial support for the Student Voice Party in SGA elections held March 13 and 14.

Until the investigation is completed and a definitive judgment made, it is unlikely Somarakisi request will be considered, much less approved.

During his campaign, which he operated without any expenses to speak of, Somarakis rarely expressed optimism about winning the presidency.
 

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