Elections for WCU’s Student Body President and Vice-President were held all day Tuesday for students to select leaders for the upcoming academic year. A total of 660 students came out to vote, and the close results will necessitate a run-off election. The run-off is scheduled for Monday, April 9.
Four candidates appeared on the ballot for student body president. Jermaine Baxter, Bradley Lovin, Jesse Lyons, and Tripp Spangler were all vying for the top spot. Lyons captured the most votes (233), followed by Baxter with 218 votes, Spangler with 105 votes, and Lovin with 101 votes. There were three unmarked ballots, meaning that no presidential candidate had been circled.
Three candidates appeared in the vice-presidential contest: Chris Hall, Michael Lewis, and Jermaine Perry. Perry led the pack with 315 votes, followed by Hall with 176, and Lewis with 143. There were 25 ballots which had not been marked with a selection for vice-president, and there was one ballot with a write-in candidate listed.
The SGA constitution states that for a candidate to win the election for president or vice-president, he or she must receive a majority of the votes (50%+1). Since none of the candidates in Tuesday’s election won such a majority, there must be a run-off between the candidates who won the most votes in the original election.
Voters in the presidential run-off may choose between Jermaine Baxter and Jesse Lyons, and the vice-presidential run-off will be between Chris Hall and Jermaine Perry.
