Results have been announced for the 2023-2024 Student Government Association (SGA) Senator Elections. Each year, SGA holds three separate elections: two in the Spring to elect officers and senators, and one in the Fall for incoming first-year students to run for the two First-Year Senator positions.

Rising junior political science majors Malu Takahashi and Lillian Sellers were elected to fill the two Class of 2025 Senator positions. They will be joined in the 2023-2024 Student Senate by rising sophomore Ali Sina Sharifi — also a political science major — who was elected to the position of Class of 2026 Senator.

Write-in candidates saw some success too. Rising junior political science major Abigail Reasoner successfully ran an impromptu write-in campaign for the position of College of Arts and Sciences Senator.

Brady Young, a sustainability major, received the most votes for eight positions, including the senator positions for Transfer, Commuter, Non-Traditional, International, Exploratory, Class of 2024, Honors College and College of Business.

Young reportedly won “as a joke” and won all eight positions with five or less votes. Due to not meeting certain qualifications laid out in the SGA Constitution, Young will not be sworn into any of the eight positions.

Teegan Weaver received the most votes – 12 – for College of Business Senator. 

This election's turnout (86) was similar in size to the previous officer election's turnout of 68. Students have raised concerns about SGA being unrepresentative due to being elected by such a small portion of the student body.

Turnout has fallen in recent years, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this last year’s elections have had particularly poor engagement. For comparison, the 2020 SGA Senator Elections (in the height of the pandemic) had a total of 482 ballots cast.

At the SGA public meeting and transition ceremony on April 20, these senators will be sworn in alongside the officers elected in the previous officer election. The vacant positions for Vice President of Finance and External Affairs and the remaining vacant senate seats will be up for election in the fall 2023 election, held in the first few weeks of the fall semester.

Here is a list at SGA positions that have been filled heading into the 2023-24 year.

● President Harun Pacavar

● Vice President of Internal Affairs Kennedy Holt

● Vice President of Student Groups Justin Brajkovich

● College of Arts and Sciences Senator Abigail Reasoner

● College of Business Senator Teegan Weaver

● Class of 2025 Senator Malu Takahashi

● Class of 2025 Senator Lillian Sellers

● Class of 2026 Senator Ali Sina Sharifi

● Male Athletic Senator Ethan Conrad

● Female Athletic Senator Eve Nealon 

Share