Ballot confusion and alleged misrepresentation have eliminated Student Association presidential candidate Troy Caldwell from the spring election ballot.

On Tuesday, Emiko Pope, SA Board of Elections chairwoman, ordered Caldwell’s removal after hearing an appeal filed by current SA president and fellow candidate Ken Getty. She also ordered that all campaigning by Caldwell or for Caldwell by anyone else cease immediately.

Caldwell, current SA treasurer, said he will take his case to the SA Supreme Court, although when that case would be filed or heard is unconfirmed.

“It’s very disheartening and discouraging to myself,” Caldwell said.

On Feb. 12, each potential candidate attended an SA meeting and was given an executive packet. In the back of every packet were sheets of paper with lines for student signatures. Each candidate was required to return the packet with 400 student signatures by Feb. 16.

Getty alleged that Caldwell used the already filled petitions from potential candidates who decided not to run. Caldwell allegedly took the ballots, whited out the names of Anthony Brown and Michelle Munoz and wrote his own name over the previous name.

“We have students saying they only signed for Munoz, but their signatures ended up in Mr. Caldwell’s packet,” Getty said.

Getty alleged that Caldwell used the signatures of candidates who had been running on the same ticket but have dropped out since then. He also made the board aware of double and triple signatures on Caldwell’s petition.

Afterword, Caldwell was given an opportunity to explain the situation. He said each candidate running on his ticket split up the signature sheets, so instead of getting signatures only for himself, they’d all get signatures for one another.

“When you run on a ticket, you want each candidate to get the same exposure as you,” he said. “It’s just good politics.”

Caldwell said when the group got together, the petition sheets were all mixed up, so the candidates sat down and divided them up saying, “This one was mine, this one was yours.”

According to Article X, Sec. 10 of the Election’s Procedure outline in the SA Constitution, all candidates must put their name, desired office and district of candidacy at the top of all circulated petitions.

“In the matter before us, there is a question as to whether or not these requirements of the elections procedure were fulfilled by Caldwell,” the board’s report states. “This method being persons other than the candidate circulating petitions on his behalf and not making it clear to signers who they were signing a petition for. It was not made clear by Mr. Caldwell’s circulators to the petition-signers precisely who they were signing for. Under Article VIII, Sec. 10, responsibility for the circulators actions falls to Mr. Caldwell.”

Getty said he didn’t want to believe Caldwell would disobey SA election guidelines.

“It was so blatantly obvious that he’d tampered with the petitions,” he said.