With the backdrop of evening class cancellations, students who braved the harsh winter weather to find out the election results will have to wait another week.
Neither pair of candidates— Jared Heitz and Tanner Bernhard or Katie Evans and Renae Beard—received the required 50 percent plus one vote to be chosen.
Jared and Tanner received 606 (48.9 percent) of the 1,239 total votes, whereas Katie and Renae received 593 votes (47.8 percent).
Due to 40 write-in votes, there will be a runoff election that will take place over the course of the next week. Polls will open again next week to decide the winners.
“We have a lot of students who are eager to get involved on campus, and the votes reflect that desire to get engaged on a meaningful level,” said Jared Heitz, English teaching major and presidential candidate.
For Jared and Tanner, the plan moving forward is to continue to engage the student body to vote — especially since their voter turnout puts them in the lead going forward.
Katie and Renae plan to continue to utilize social media to encourage student involvement with the voting process.
Katie and Renae’s platform is centered on engaging students. Their plans for implementing a Women’s Center on campus is structured toward that goal of engaging students.
The expansion of transportation options as well as the establishment of a First-Year Council are additional plans for these candidates.
Jared and Tanner are also focused on student engagement. The two hope to accomplish this through the creation of an inter-club council, which will connect student organizations and allow students to network with many different student groups on campus.
“At the end of the day, the student government is here to represent and engage the student body,” Heitz said. “If we’re not representing the students, there is no point to even having a student government.”
The final week will involve a rethinking of campaign strategies for both parties. However, the basic motivation remains the same.
“Everything and more, right?” Beard said.
