USAC election introduces new slate, to have one presidential candidate

This post was updated on April 24 at 2:50 p.m.

This year’s student government elections will have an unopposed presidential candidate.

Bruins United candidate Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh is the only person running for the Undergraduate Students Association Council president. This year’s election will also have a new slate, Defend Affirmative Action Party, which will run two people for general representative positions. Ten candidates will run independently, the highest number in at least the last five years.

A total of 21 people will run for 14 USAC positions, up from 19 last year. Bruins United, which held the majority of seats on council this year, is running nine candidates.

Slates are groups of candidates with similar platforms that run together in the election. Candidates can also run independently.

Last year, three slates ran in the spring election: Bruins United, Waves of Change and MakeUCLAGreatAgain. Bruins United, which has run candidates since 2004, secured nine of 14 seats and currently holds eight seats.

Two current councilmembers will run in the upcoming election. Transfer student representative Divya Sharma is running for academic affairs commissioner and Student Wellness Commissioner Christina Lee will run unopposed for her same position. Six total candidates will be uncontested.

Mokhtarzadeh will be confirmed as president if at least one person votes for her. She is president of Bruins for Israel and is on the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Student Advisory Board. She also serves as a student representative for the Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors.

There are no referenda in this year’s election. Last year, four referenda ran and passed.

Voting will start May 1 and results will be announced May 5, at 5 p.m.

A complete roster of candidates is listed below:

President
Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh, Bruins United

Internal vice president
Vivy Li, independent
Neha Quraishi, Bruins United

External vice president
Sophie Butler, Bruins United
Chloe Pan, independent
Jackson Price, independent

General representatives
Celina Avalos, Bruins United
Nicole Corona Diaz, DAAP
Kayla He, Bruins United
Justin Jackson, Bruins United
Gustavo Gonzalez-Ramos, DAAP

Academic Affairs commissioner
Divya Sharma, independent (current councilmember)
Emma Zawacki, Bruins United

Campus Events commissioner
Nedda Saidian, independent

Community Service commissioner
Adriana Hardwicke, independent

Cultural Affairs commissioner
Malik D. Flournoy-Hooker, independent

Facilities commissioner
Zahra Hajee, independent

Financial Supports commissioner
Aaron Boudaie, Bruins United

Student Wellness commissioner
Christina Lee, independent (current councilmember)

Transfer student representative
Ashraf Beshay, Bruins United
Sayron Stokes, independent

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Click here for full coverage of the 2017 USAC elections.