Voter turnout down to four per cent
The voting period for the UVSS has ended, and the new Board of Directors has been announced.
Polls closed at 12 p.m. on March 25, and the UVSS Electoral office released the unofficial results later that evening.
Voter turnout continued to decrease this year with only four per cent of those eligible to vote doing so. This number is down from 6.6 per cent voter turnout last year and 14.8 per cent in 2020.
The referendum failed to meet the necessary 15 per cent quorum. The majority of those who did vote were in favour of establishing a new fee to support UVSS sustainability initiatives. The proposed fee received 460 votes in support and 232 against.
Lead Directors
In this election, the Lead Director positions primarily went to candidates without previous board experience.
The Director of Campaigns and Community Relations position went to Izzy Adachi, who served as a Director at Large in 2020.
Leo Prosalendis beat out two other candidates for the Director of Finance and Operations position. This will be Prosalendis’ first term on the Board of Directors.
In an email to the Martlet, Prosalendis said, “the other Lead Directors and I will be discussing how to best start our year of management. We hope to discuss the reforms we’ll open our year with … We also aim to open up channels for input to UVSS members before we start our terms.”
Prosalendis also congratulated his two opposing candidates, Liam Peta and Charles Lithgow, on their first election campaigns.
Amber Powell, who ran uncontested for the position of Director of Events, will also be joining the board. Powell received 637 votes of support and 50 against.
“I’m thankful to have been voted onto the board even if I was uncontested,” said Powell, who expressed disappointment in the low voter turnout. “I hope we can learn from our experience this year and improve in coming elections.”
The Director of Student Affairs position went to Deborah Berman, who has been a Director at Large for the past year.
“I’m incredibly appreciative of everyone who has supported me, and I’m ready to get started,” said Berman. “It’s an honour to be elected and I’m looking forward to an exciting year ahead.”
Voters chose Ton Tran, another candidate with no previous board experience, as Director of Outreach and University Relations.
Tran expressed gratitude to voters in an email to the Martlet and said he is “honoured to be elected.” Tran also encourages students to stop and say hello on campus and to ask any questions they might have.
Directors at Large
The Directors at Large elected for the upcoming year are Sarah Buchanan, Venya Chhabra, Lillian Crowder, Natasha Dielmann, Julien Edwardson, Samuel Holland, Alyssa Jackson, Kate Laureta, Harrison Mundschutz, Jordana Pangburn, and Lily Vokey.
International students also voted in Adam Choi as Director of International Student Relations. Choi ran uncontested for the position and received 23 votes of support and 11 against.
“It’s already been a great learning experience participating in the election process,” said Choi.
Those elected to the board will begin their terms on May 1.
