In a close race, the “Inspired by U” ticket defeated “Think B.I.G.” and won all three positions on the Student Government executive board Friday afternoon.
Treasurer-elect Kenneth Esman and Vice President-elect Catilin Giles beat Ian Bai and Emily Stanch of “Think B.I.G.,” respectively by 126 and 127 votes. President-elect Nawara Alawa beat Parket Barnett, the presidential candidate on “Think B.I.G.” by only 61 votes.
According to SG Press Secretary Mike Piacentino, there would have been a run-off election had Alawa received 19 less votes.
Barnett believes his ticket ran a “strong” campaign.
“I think there were two strong SG campaigns,” he said. “We had a small workforce, we focused on untraditional techniques, we wrote individual letters for sorority members, we handed out food and told students to come out and vote. The voting was close and they were both successful.”
With a win in hand, Alawa is proud of her “Inspired by U” ticket.
“I couldn’t have done it without my team,” she said.
The results were announced two days after both tickets were accused of allegedly violating election code regulations. A trial Thursday night found “Think B.I.G.” guilty of graphic campaigning in the University Center areas surrounding the polling booths. The ticket was given 18 points for the violation, which was combined with a previous violation to amount to a total of 19 points.
The accumulation of 20 points disqualifies any independent candidate, ticket or referendum, according to Associate Chief Justice Sean Norris of the SG Supreme Court.
“Inspired by U” was accused of allegedly using an office in the University Center, more specifically the Student Government office, as a campaign base. The ticket was found not guilty and no points were issued.
“If anything, the blip in the road, the trial, made our team stronger,” Alawa said. “Proving we were innocent showed we had a clean campaign. We knew exactly what we stood for, no matter which way the election went.”
Now, Alawa’s first step is to start preparing for next year.
“We want to make sure we’re transitioned right and that we’re well equipped to move forward for next year,” she said.
For more coverage of the SG election season, see past stories:
SG tickets head to trial for code violations, election results postponed
SG tickets remain in election race after undergoing code violation trials