USAC runoff campaigns begin
By Narges Zohoury
May 9, 2005 9:00 p.m.
Though some of the candidate signs lining Bruin Walk have been
taken down, the elections are not yet over.
Voting for runoff elections for the undergraduate student
government will begin tonight as two top executive offices remain
unfilled.
The battle for the presidency and the office of external vice
president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council will
pit candidates from Bruins United and Student Power! against each
other in an intense three-day period of campaigning.
Runoffs occur when no candidate running for a position is able
to garner more than 50 percent of the votes ““ the amount
required to be elected.
Voting will be hosted via the MyUCLA Web site and will last from
7 p.m. tonight through 7 p.m. Thursday.
After the first round of elections, the presidential race was
narrowed down to Jenny Wood and Alex Gruenberg. Wood of Student
Power! was ahead of Gruenberg, running with Bruins United, by a
margin of less than 3 percent, or 170 votes.
But for the office of external vice president, Bruins United
candidate Jesse Melgares had a 10 percent lead over Student Power!
candidate Jeannie Biniek.
Nathan Lam, elections board chairman, said if there is a tie in
either race, there will be a one-day runoff next week.
Though this is unlikely, runoff elections have in the past been
extremely close ““ 11 votes decided a general representative
position in 2003.
Gruenberg said he will be unveiling some new campaign strategies
to get students energized and to maintain high turnout.
Last week’s election marked the highest turnout in USAC
elections in more than 10 years, as more than 30 percent of the
undergraduate student body participated.
Gruenberg said he also would like to appeal to the 6 percent of
voters who voted for Jake Strom in the first round. Strom, a
presidential candidate with the Bruin Liberation Movement, is no
longer in the race, as only the top two candidates move to
runoffs.
Wood said her slate’s campaign will try to appeal to
everyone and she believes Student Power! candidates’
“experiences will speak for themselves.”
Wood said they will try to get their message out in new
ways.
“We want to show people our passion and enthusiasm for
USAC,” Wood said.
Student Power! is planning events titled “Power
Hour” that will take place over the next few days from 12
p.m. to 1 p.m., in which different campus organizations, including
Samahang Pilipino and the Nikkei Student Union, will perform.
Biniek will be working with Wood and said she plans to attract
voters by highlighting her experiences and accomplishments.
Keeping the voters interested in voting seems to be one goal all
candidates have in common.
Melgares said his slate will try to make sure all of their
supporters vote again.
“We definitely have the momentum going,” he
said.
During last week’s election, Bruins United candidates were
elected to seven offices, while Student Power! has secured one seat
on council so far ““ cultural affairs commissioner.
With reports from Lauren Gabbaian, Bruin reporter.
