The logo used by a Gwinnett Public Schools Board of Education candidate has county and state government officials scratching their heads about whether it violates any election rules.
Two county organizations have complained that C. “Chuck” Studebaker, Republican candidate for the District 4 seat, has a torch symbol that looks like the Gwinnett County schools logo on his campaign signs, literature and website. Although Studebaker is endorsed by sitting District 4 Board Member Robert McClure, neither the board as a whole nor the school district endorses candidates.
“It’s on my signs, mailers and even on my name tag,” said Studebaker. “I’ve been to school board events and nobody has said anything about it until now.”
Studebaker said he paid a company to design the logo. “I agree it looks similar, but if you Google torch clip art, they all look similar. It’s not that different than the one used for the 1996 Olympics.”
Gwinnett County school administrators say it’s too similar to theirs.
“We’ve talked to Mr. Studebaker and sent him a letter asking him to stop using the logo,” said Sloan Roach, a spokeswoman for Gwinnett schools. “The graphic was causing confusion.”
Even though the election is two weeks away, Studebaker said he'll comply with the school district's request.
“I just want to serve the people of South Gwinnett,” he said. “I’m not trying to do anything dishonest.”
Everton Blair, the Democratic candidate for District 4, said he didn’t have an opinion about the logo. “I saw his logo and disregarded it. I’m staying focused on my campaign.”
Without delving into the specifics of this case, Kerwin Swint, professor of political science at Kennesaw State University, said the complaint seems like the kind of thing that often happens in the few weeks leading up to an election. “It doesn’t sound tremendously serious,” he said. “Probably the best way to handle it is to get a ruling from the secretary of state’s office.”
Even though elections fall within the jurisdiction of that office, this question has them stumped.
“I’m not sure who would handle this,” said Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state’s office. “If someone were campaigning too close to the polls or doing something to tamper with an election, we’d step in.”
Broce said she wasn’t sure if this even fell under the purview of the state ethics commission.
“It’s probably something where Gwinnett schools would have to consult with their lawyers,” she said.
The groups that complained to the Gwinnett school board and the county elections board see this as making the playing field uneven. “It looks like [Studebaker] is already a board member,” said Penny Poole, president of the Gwinnett County chapter of the NAACP. “It looks like he’s one of them and he’s not.”
Black Men United for Children & Humanity is the other group complaining about the logo. BMUCH spokesman Ray Wilson wrote in a letter to the Gwinnett BOE, “Many citizens are confused.”
