The winners of the student elections will be revealed tonight at an announcement party beginning at 8 p.m.
The 101 candidates running for positions in the Student Senate, General Assembly and executive offices of the Associated Students of the University of Utah must wait an entire day after voting concluded to find out who was victorious, and who will not represent students next year.
“It’s really nice to give us a little chance to reflect,” said Elevation presidential candidate AnnMarie Allen.
Impact vice presidential candidate Randall Lloyd also does not mind waiting for the results.
“I’m OK with it,” he said. “By [Wednesday] at 9 p.m., I’ll be exhausted.”
Lloyd said he will be “a little anxious,” but plans to sleep as much as possible today to pass the time.
The candidates for president and vice president of ASUU have reason to be tired. They have participated in eight debates and long hours of handing out stickers, bagels, fliers, creamies and, of course, pizza to potential supporters during the last couple of weeks.
Although the requirements demanded for winning ASUU offices are high, the rewards of winning that office are numerous.
The ASUU president receives a tuition waiver, access to a well-furnished office and a parking pass allowing the presidential car to be planted anywhere on campus. Leadership of the student body of the largest public university in the state also looks good on a resume.
The candidates left in the race are not running for any of those reasons, they say.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t love serving students,” Allen said. “We do it for that purpose, to make their lives a little better and make their college experience a little more pleasant.”
Bill Edwards of the Impact Party said he is also running for the experience and opportunity to meet people, and not at all for his resume.
“It would be like a perk or a benefit,” he said. “This is a ridiculous amount of work for something on a resume. Obviously everyone realizes that’s a benefit that comes from it, that’s not a primary motivation for it by any means.”
Ben Lowe, current ASUU president, admitted during one of the debates last year that he was running for office partially to put that line on his resume. Lowe’s reasons for seeking student office went far beyond that, he said.
Lowe wanted to run for the learning experience and the training he would receive in office, he said. “It’s long days and long hours. It’s good practice.”
Through his presidency Lowe has learned how to balance a budget, work with people and balance the different aspects of his life.
“I enjoy being able to see tangible good from what I’m doing,” Lowe said. He also talked about the people he meets as a benefit of his job.
Stayner Landward, dean of students, believes students run for office because they believe they have something to offer the campus.
“I can’t think of a student body president with whom I’ve worked who didn’t want to make a contribution,” Landward said.
This year 2,848 voted in the final elections?545 fewer than voted in last year’s finals, according to Administrative Computing Services. In the primary elections last week, 3,407 voted.
Josh Walker, elections registrar, will read the results sometime between 8 and 11 tonight during the announcement party in the Union ballroom. The elections committee scheduled the party the day after voting concludes in order to ensure that all fines are paid, grievances settled and financial disclosures reviewed before the time of announcement.
Only two grievances have been filed this year, one by Elevation and one by the ASUU special prosecutor Jackson Lever. The grievances concern three minor posting violations by Impact, which will be fined $5 per violation.
“This has been the cleanest election I know about,” Walker said.