 |
|
‘Girl power’
takes SGA top spots
Linville, Johnson win with 1,241 votes over
Cash, Bayard’s 1,048 |
David Forbes
SGA Beat
|
Josh Brown | Chief PhotographerSenior Psychology major and Linville/Johnson
campaign manager Heather A. Robertson joins the winning duo in
a congratulatory hug after Friday’s election winner announcement
in the Student Government office.
|
The tension was almost
palpable Friday as voting ended and the final results of the election
were read.
When those results came in, it was clear: Rachel
A. Johnson and Lauren N. Linville were going to be the next president
and vice president of the Student Government Association.
Johnson and Linville received 1,241 votes (54
percent), with rival ticket Patrick G. Cash and H. Dustin Bayard
receiving 1,048 votes (45 percent).
“We were very, very happy it was such a clean
race and that everyone got along so well. We were happy the elections
committee was so strong and did what it needed to do; they kept
it fair,” Johnson said Friday. |
“We
just knew it was going to be so close, because both tickets did
such a good job,” Linville said Friday.
“We’ve got to work together next year, no matter who won
the election. Bottom line, it’s going to take a unified student
body voice,” Cash said. “Until that happens and until
we realize that student government is not about the senate, it’s
about coming together after five years of raising student fees and
mobilizing. That’s the only thing that’s going to make
a change.”
“I was very confident throughout the whole thing that we were
going to win, just because we got a lot of support, which I’m
very grateful for,” Bayard said. “I’m still going
to be doing stuff [in SGA]. What we have on our platform still needs
to be done.”
Johnson and Linville received a wide majority of the on-campus votes,
761 to Cash/Bayard’s 481. Cone Residence Hall had the highest
on-campus turnout, with 128 votes cast.
However, the Cash/Bayard ticket received the majority of off-campus
votes, 567 to Johnson/Linville’s 480.
Female students accounted for the majority of votes cast, 1,309,
with male students casting 991 votes.
A referendum on the ballot to make easier the process for students
submitting legislation to SGA by petition passed by a large majority,
796 votes to 187.
Due to the referendum’s passage, only 100 student signatures
will be required for a piece of legislation to be directly submitted
to SGA, rather than the several thousand previously required.
Rules Chair Kevin M. Turner, who oversaw the election, said he was
pleased with how smoothly the election ran.
“I couldn’t have had a better group of people to work
with. I cannot believe it’s over; it was a quick two weeks.
This was a very cooperative group of candidates to work with. It’s
been a pleasant experience, instead of one I regretted,” Turner
said.
“I think we cleared up a lot of gray areas in the rules, and
that helped. Also, the candidates helped themselves out by promising
they wouldn’t be at each other’s throats, that this would
be a friendly campaign. The atmosphere of the campaign improved
from last year. Both tickets had a well-run campaign,” he said.
Johnson said students should expect an open and enthusiastic administration
from Linville and herself next year.
“The [students] can expect that when they want to hear about
student government they’ll be able to find about 15 ways to
do it. If they want their voices heard, they’ll know we’re
hearing them,” she said. |
|
|
 |
 |
