Photo by Emily Porter By Colin Murphy The general elections for the Associated Students concluded Friday, May 3, voting in the new AS Executive Board for 2019-20, and passing two referendums with a voter turnout at 15.1%, according to AS Election Coordinator Alec Willis. Votes were cast in a rank-choice voting style, and positions with multiple candidates went through rounds of candidate elimination. Newly elected AS President, Lani DeFiesta, won with 1,065 votes. Opposing candidate Abdul Malik Ford received 941 votes, and lost by a margin of 124 votes. Grace Drechsel won the seat for AS Vice President for Governmental Affairs in the second round with 957 votes against Tatum Eames in the second round. Astrid Duenas Diaz received 556 votes, losing the first round, followed by Eames, who had 759 votes by the second round and ultimately lost by a margin of 198 votes. Yesugen Battsengel won the seat for AS Vice President for Diversity with 1,113 votes, winning by a margin of 368 votes against Josiah Scott, who received 745 votes. The position for the AS Vice President for Sustainability went to Trever Mullins, who won in the second round with 1,087 votes against Jesse Bass who received 642 votes in the second round. Crow Chloupek lost in the first round with 434 votes. Emily Gerhardt won the seat as AS Vice President For Student Services unopposed with 1,620 votes. Selome Zerai won the seat as AS Vice President For Activities unopposed with 1,641 votes. Adah Barenburg won the seat as AS Student Senate Pro Tempore unopposed with 1,558 votes. A referendum to amend the AS Constitution was passed, with 1,799 “yes” votes. Another referendum proposed by Zero Waste Western, passed with 1,636 “yes” votes and 422 “no”. This referendum will change the price of coffee and other beverages on the menu to include the price of a disposable cup. This story was updated on May 4, 2019 to correct Lani DeFiesta's name from Lana DeFiesta as the story previously stated .
