UF students approved an amendment to bring online voting to UF’s Student Body as Impact Party claimed the executive ticket Wednesday night.
Impact walked onto the Reitz Union breezeway chanting, “I believe in you and I, and I believe in Impact,” before Erica Baker, the UF supervisor of elections, announced they received more than 7,000 votes, taking Student Body President, Student Body Vice President and Student Body Treasurer.
The amendment to allow online voting, submitted via petition by Global Vote, needed 60 percent of the vote to pass. It got more than 68 percent with 6,047 votes in support and 2,751 votes against it.
With the passing of the amendment, UF will become the last school in the Southeastern Conference to implement online voting.
Caroline Nickerson, 21, a member of Global Vote, said the group stood behind the crowd and anxiously waited for the result of the amendment. When they heard it had passed, they started hugging and screaming.
“I just let out a bloodcurdling shriek of joy,” the UF East Asian languages and literatures and history junior said. “I don’t think it’ll feel real until I cast that first online ballot.”
With 10,694 students voting this year, fewer students voted than last Spring when 12,742 students voted.
Susan Webster and Brendon “BJ” Jonassiant, the Impact president-elect and vice president-elect, received 7,222 votes, taking just under 70 percent of the vote. Kishan Patel, the Impact treasurer-elect, won 7,147 votes.
After Baker announced Impact’s victory, a crowd of Impact supporters tossed Webster into the air in celebration.
Kalyani Hawaldar and Hammaad Saber, the Access presidential and vice-presidential candidate, received 3,200 votes. Lillian Rozsa, the Access treasurer candidate, won 3,262 votes.
In addition to taking the executive ticket, Impact won 39 Senate seats, Baker announced at 10:20 p.m. Access won 11 seats.
Impact claimed all six seats in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, UF’s largest college. Impact also took the College of Engineering’s four seats and all three Business Administration seats.
Impact took the six sophomore seats and all three freshman seats. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’s three seats also went to Impact as did College of Journalism’s two seats. Access won Fine Arts’s one seat.
The 10 graduate seats were split, with Impact winning two seats and Access winning eight. Access also won the Law school senator seat and the Medicine senator seat.
At least 25 elections complaints were submitted, said Devin Esposito, the election commissions chair. Complains will be heard Friday at 10 a.m. at the UF Levin College of Law.
Impact Party let out ear-splitting screams and jumped when Webster and Jonassaint were announced victors.
“The good always wins!” Webster shouted.
Before results were announced, Access’ executive ticket locked arms in front of the platform where results were announced.
“At the end of the day no matter what happens, we’re fighting for our morals and what was right,” Saber said. “We didn’t do what was for our own self interest; we fought for the students.”
After results were announced, Hawaldar said she was happy online voting passed.
“I’m so excited that online voting passed, I think that’s a big deal for the Student Body,” Hawaldar said. “I think we’re heading in the right direction as Student Government as a whole.”
