Homecoming queen candidate Patti Ashe withdrew herself from the ballot minutes before the beginning of elections Wednesday morning after the Student Government Association Elections Commission ruled her ineligible for the crown, but not the court.

After a complaint was filed concerning illegal campaigning in the UC, Jason Rushing, SGA elections commissioner, contacted Ashe on Tuesday and informed her that she needed to remove the offending materials from the UC. Ashe complied.

According to the Homecoming Royalty Election Guidelines, “[there] shall not be any campaigning within the Boling University Center.” Ashe signed a statement on Sept. 25 that read, “I’ve read and agreed to the terms and conditions for running for Homecoming Queen at the University of Tennessee at Martin during the fall term 2003. I realize by breaking any rules that I may be disqualified.”

The Elections Commission convened that evening to discuss the situation, recommending to the SGA Procedures Committee to disqualify her from the race.

Rushing informed Ashe of her right to state her case before the commission and she took the opportunity to do so.

After she spoke, the Elections Commission reinstated her on the ballot under the conditions, to which she agreed, that she would be eligible only for the court, not for queen, and she would have to take down all campaign paraphernalia by 8 a.m. Oct. 1.

Just before the elections began Wednesday morning, Ashe withdrew from the election, submitting a formal letter of withdrawal to the Election Commission.

Ashe said her reasons for stepping down were, among others, “to maintain the integrity of the election process.”

After hearing of Ashe’s pending withdrawal, SGA Communications Chair Beth Parnell telephoned her. Parnell told The Pacer, “I just wanted [Ashe] to know about contesting the elections and I read [to] her what the constitution said.”
Parnell wanted her to know that contesting was an option available to her as a candidate, but would no longer be an option if she withdrew.

Ashe said she believed there was insufficient time to make a proper decision regarding whether she should have her name added back to the ballot, and chose to stand by her decision.

“I hate that this situation happened […]. I think that we did the best we could, considering the circumstances,” Rushing said.