Texas Wesleyan had a record turnout for student body elections on April 15 and 16.
Heath Scott, president of the student government association, said he’s pleased with the number of students who voted.
“We set record numbers,” Scott said. “More people voted in this election than any other election since the 1980s.”
The results of the elections were Heath Scott, uncontested for president, with 137 votes; Justin Mikulencak for vice president with 103 votes; Julie Hutson, uncontested for chief justice with 157 votes and Ida Nickerson for secretary with 111.
The votes for secretary were so close that a recount was needed.
“If it’s fewer than 10 percentage points difference between two elections, there has to be at least three recounts,” Scott said.
Dr. Carol Johnson-Gerendas, SGA adviser and visiting assistant professor of English, oversaw the counting of ballots and said that it took a total of about 10 hours over a three-day period to count all the votes, including recounts.
“We may be seeking a way to automate the process,” Johnson-Gerendas said. “I think we’re going to have more and more interest in voting.”
Representative elections will take place on April 29 and 30. Students will vote for three representatives each for the schools of arts and letters, sciences, education and business.
For some, the process could’ve been smoother.
“It could’ve been a little better,” said first-time voter Robert Paschal, senior liberal studies major. “The cafeteria ran out of ballots.”
The SGA is the only organization authorized by Texas Wesleyan to make decisions for and speak on behalf of the student body.
“When students vote they’re actually voting on people they want speaking on their behalf,” Scott said. “Because the student government is the sole voice of the student body, students need to decide who they want that voice to be.”
Justin Payne, senior political science major, was elected Mr. Texas Wesleyan and Helena Collins, senior psychology major, was elected Ms. Texas Wesleyan.
Be the first to comment on this article!