No candidates from Slate Refund won positions in the
undergraduate student government general elections, but general
representative candidate Shauna Peterson will advance to next
week’s runoff.
The nine candidates running under Slate Refund pledged to refund
students their $120 annual Undergraduate Students Association fee
if elected. Six received over 10 percent of student votes in their
respective races, with candidates for Financial Supports
commissioner and Student Welfare commissioner winning over 29
percent of votes.
Slate Refund blamed low voter turnout for their losses.
Twenty-eight percent of the undergraduate population voted,
compared to 31 percent in last year’s election.
Facilities commissioner candidate Thomas McKenna, a second-year
aerospace engineering student, called voter turnout
“pathetic.”
Presidential candidate Garin Hovannisian, a third-year history
student and former Daily Bruin columnist, said Slate Refund
candidates being able to break the 10 percent mark was an
accomplishment.
The fact that Slate Refund won a significant number of votes
proved students are concerned with the way USAC is currently run,
Hovannisian said.
“(The numbers) show students are dissatisfied with USAC
and show there are problems that need to be addressed,”
Hovannisian said.
General Representative candidate Peterson, a second-year
political science student, said she is “really proud to
represent Slate Refund” and is looking forward to next
week’s runoff election, since those results will really
reflect the opinions of students.
“The response we received while campaigning was that
students are receptive to our ideas. Next week will really
tell,” she said.
External vice president candidate David Lazar, a third-year
economics student, said that Slate Refund targeted the students who
don’t usually vote in elections. He said the elections
results were decided by a small number of students, and don’t
accurately reflect the opinions of the entire undergraduate
population.
“The students who do vote represent the
establishment,” he said.
Lazar said that although Slate Refund didn’t win any
positions, his slate “stole the spotlight.”
All members of Slate Refund agreed that their slate was
relatively successful, specifically because Slate Refund is a small
group of people who were up against two large, well-established
slates.
McKenna said he was amazed that “a small group did well in
one try, especially against two powerhouse groups.”
Slate Refund said the support they gained shows students cannot
relate to USAC.
“The election proves that people on this campus do not
approve of how USAC is run and that students want control of their
money,” said Campus Events commissioner candidate Kyle Hyman,
a second-year biology student.
Most Slate Refund candidates said this year’s election
does not mark the end of Slate Refund, and many said they plan to
run again next year.
“We ran an awesome campaign. This election is a positive
step for USAC history,” Hovannisian said.