People will do just about anything out of desperation, and that was no exception with the recent Student Government elections. While campaign flyers still littered classrooms, the first complaint was filed against presidential candidate Ryan Smith.

The complaint was petty: A member of Ryan Smith’s ticket, Kelsey Hayes, had charged her phone 25 feet of a polling location. How malicious.

Soon, four more complaints were filed against presidential candidates. These included a complaint that Colby Khoshreza had given shirts to his staff and a complaint that Khoshreza had misused student fees. Other complaints claimed that the candidates had violated a regulation by contacting students multiple times through electronic means during the campaign, the Kernel reported on Thursday.

The last four complaints didn’t have enough merit to be heard by the SG Supreme Court, but the first did. Hayes was found guilty of violating SG regulations and charged $25 for her crime.

Despite her violation, no one in the court thought the act of charging her phone in an inappropriate place was serious enough to overturn the election. Smith and Hayes’ 148-vote advantage still stood.

What lesson did the candidates learn from this? Probably nothing. Most people will cling to anything they can find when they feel their dreams slipping away. SG candidates campaigned for months to win this election, they printed out thousands of stickers, posters and shirts, and shook hundreds of hands. They were planning their own hot chocolate Wednesdays and iPod give-aways. Of course they were going to fight.

But what lesson should they learn? Insignificant claims are not enough to change an election. They just make both parties look foolish.

Just as mentioned before by the editorial board, SG elections turn trivial when the bickering comes out. Proven by the charges in 2005 over around $15, and again by something as minor as a cell phone charger’s location.

Smith said he would work to overhaul the elections rules, which is a good effort and a necessary one. But more than anything, candidates need to simply grow up.

Hopefully, the next election will be over when it’s over. No one wants to hear about how someone charged their phone in the wrong place or who spent too much money on T-shirts. If there is a legitimate reason for overturning the election, then file a complaint, but if not, bow out gracefully.