It's election season, the time of year when candidates should be on their best behavior.
More than at any other time, political hopefuls should realize they are going to be scrutinized under a microscope.
In order to avoid embarrassment or scandal, candidates should be extra vigilant at such times.
They should be thorough and careful.
They should be detail-oriented and cautious.
They should double check everything, and they should know the rules of the game.
If candidates happen to make a mistake, they should be open and honest about it with the people they are supposed to represent.
Beth Cahill's slate that declared candidacy for Ball State University Student Government Association at Monday's nominating convention failed on every one of those accounts.
Cody Willis, the treasurer candidate on the slate, has admitted to writing in addresses on the signature portion of the required election packet.
Slate members say they misunderstood the rule breach they committed by not having students write the signatures. While they may have thought their actions were right at the time, the actions were, in fact, against the rules.
After the Elections Board brought up the errors with the signatures and denied the application, the slate avoided explaining what went wrong.
To make matters worse, disharmony has arisen between slate members.
After two days of dodged questions and ambiguous answers, some facts and decisions have come to light.
Willis has left the slate. Kyle Ellis, campaign manager and Daily News staffer on an indefinite leave of absence, has also resigned his post, although he will continue to work with the campaign informally.
The group, with a new treasurer candidate and campaign manager, plans to continue vying for SGA's executive positions.
In their actions since Monday, the members of Cahill's slate have not exemplified the qualities Ball State students deserve to see in their leaders. These qualities - vigilance, competence, openness - are the basics of a strong political campaign.
The SGA slate has not lived up to these platitudes, and it hasn't even officially started campaigning yet.
Cahill's slate has fallen far short of what students deserve from SGA at a time when it really matters.
When the candidates were supposed to be at the top of their game, they have proved themselves subpar.
It's time for the slate to drop out.
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