SGA vote totals for last three years
2014: 2,871
2013: 4,985
2012: 2,199
After a last minute fine, Cardinal Connection beat out Empower in the Student Government Association executive election, which closed at 5 p.m.
For next academic year, the SGA executive board will be President Nick Wilkey, Vice President Carli Hendershot, Secretary Rahissa Engle and Treasurer Sidney Staples.
The official announcement was delayed for two hours.
The elections board met to vote on a campaign violation regarding a rule in the elections code that requires slates to cease campaign material from university computing services 24 hours before elections, said Alex Sventeckis, elections board chairman.
Wilkey sent an email to Ball State University Dance Marathon committee members at 4:14 p.m. Monday. This is a violation of the elections code, but Sventeckis declined to confirm it is the violation in question.
In the email Wilkey asked members to vote for Cardinal Connection and stressed his contributions to Dance Marathon. He made several promises to continue work with the organization, specifically the golf outing, and to provide disc jockey services for events.
The email also contained a link to Cardinal Connection’s website and information on how to vote.
WIlkey said he did not know sending the email was a violation of the code.
“Not knowing it was a rule shook me because I read the elections code,” he said. “It’s not the best feeling in the world.”
The elections board will vote by Friday whether it will release the violation. Sventeckis said he speculates that they will not.
Cardinal Connection beat Empower by 81 votes, with a total of 1,441 votes. Seventy people voted to abstain in the election.
The board voted unanimously to impose the maximum fine of $400, according to a press release sent by Sventeckis.
“We have done everything we can do with the elections code given us,” he said.
Empower — presidential candidate Jes Wade, vice presidential candidate Gabrielle Bunn, secretary candidate Bekki Kimani and treasurer candidate Connor Saum — won 1,360 votes, Sventeckis said.
The total number of votes in the election decreased from last year. Sventeckis said the decrease in votes was from changes to the elections code.
Last year, slates and their campaign staff used tablets and other electronic means to solicit votes directly from students. Now, the current code prohibits it.
Monday, an elections board investigation looked into allegations of Alyssa France, current SGA vice president, leaking questions to Cardinal Connection ahead of the debates. The investigation didn’t find any evidence.
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