berglunds@lopers.unk.edu
The results of the student body president general election were announced March 3. UNK students casted 1,084 votes, but none of the three teams reached the percentage needed to win, resulting in a runoff election.
Emily Saadi and Zach Zavodny received 432 votes, Aidan Weidner and Olivia Koenig received 375, and Landon Seibert and Jocelyn Rauert received 277 votes.
“To win the office of student body president in the general election, the candidates on the same ticket must receive 50% plus one of the general election votes,” said Logan Krejdl, student government adviser. “If this number is not attained, a runoff election will take place one week after the general election.”
The top two candidates with the most votes in the general election will compete in the runoff election. The winner of the runoff must receive 51% of the votes.
Saadi and Zavodny’s team and Weidner and Koenig’s team received the most votes in the general election of the three teams, so they will compete in the runoff election this week.
Saadi and Zavondy’s campaign points remain as collectiveness, cooperativeness and transparency. Saadi wants to emphasize and promote the necessity of diversity, equity and inclusion. She also wants to draw attention to mental health, student engagement, student involvement and modernization.
“We aren’t making any changes this week,” said Saadi. “We are confident in our ability to best represent and be a voice for the student body and just want to continue advocating for students’ needs.”
Weidner and Koenig’s campaign points stay the same as campus involvement, mental health, campus affordability, campus safety, diversity and campus pride.
“We are definitely going to try and separate ourselves from the other campaign,” said Weidner. “We want to show how distinct and original we are and how much we are going to focus on the next election.”
Ballots to vote for the runoff election will be sent out via LoperMail at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Voting will be open until 5 p.m. Thursday.
The results will be announced at 6:30 p.m. this Thursday on the UNK Student Government and Student Engagement Twitter and Instagram accounts: @unkstudentgov and @UNK_Students.
“I have the utmost confidence that whoever is elected will be a great advocate for the student body,” Krejdl said. “I am excited to work with the next leaders of student government to continue to enhance the college experience of current and future Lopers.”
