Neal Casey was elected president of the 55th session of Student Association early Friday morning with just more than 10 percent of the student body voting.

‘Tonight just reaffirms our opportunity to really do some good for the campus,’ Casey said, after hearing the results.

A total of 1,397 students—10.4 percent—of Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry full-time undergraduates, voted, said current-President Jon Barnhart. Casey, who ran uncontested, received about 85 percent, or 1,099 votes. One hundred and four voters did not vote for president, and 194 votes were for write-in candidates.

Voting began Monday and went until Thursday at midnight. By early Thursday evening, only 9 percent of the student body had voted. For elections to be declared official, 10 percent of the student body must vote. At approximately 9 p.m. SA received an update that 10 percent had been reached, Barnhart said.

This year marked a lower outcome than previous years. In 2008, 23.6% of the student body turned out to vote, according to an article published in The Daily Orange on Nov. 16, 2008. In 2009, 18.5 percent of the student body voted in the contested election between Barnhart and Hari Iyer.

‘I think that one of factors was the fact that neither position was contested and, unfortunately, that doesn’t make it as interesting,’ Barnhart said.

Elections usually receive the highest voter turnout on the first day polls open. This year, 588 votes, 4 percent, were counted on the first day. Unlike previous years, there was a surge of votes between 4 p.m. and midnight on the fourth day of voting. By the end of the fourth day, 315 votes were cast in comparison to last year’s 278 votes, Barnhart said.

Casey will officially start his term as 55th SA president on Jan. 1. Barnhart said he would help him during the transition.

‘We’ve gotten a head start; we’re ready to go,’ Casey said.

Casey campaigned under the platform ‘Putting Students First.’ His goals for SA are to include students in campus decisions, improve the budget process to make more money available to student organizations and make SA into a results-based organization which focuses on its accomplishments rather than what it can do.

His first step to putting students first is by opening the vice president position to everyone on campus. Casey will be choosing who will serve under him in the next two weeks.

‘We really need a better voice for students who have made their name and been successful in other organizations to bring that experience into SA,’ he said.

Jeff Rickert, also uncontested, was re-elected as SA comptroller with 1,157 votes, about 89 percent of the votes. Another 133 votes were for write-in candidates and 107 voters chose not to vote for comptroller.

Rickert has three goals for the upcoming term: To improve the budget process by removing rollover restrictions, to allow funding for student travel and to create a budget-reform committee to benefit student organizations.

‘I’m happy to be working with Neal. We are very good friends,’ he said. ‘I think we can get a lot accomplished next year and see positive change.’

Rickert plans to begin working on removing rollover restrictions once the appeals process for student organization funding passes, he said.

Also on the ballot was a referendum to remove Class Alliance from the SA codes, which also passed; SA and Class Alliance are two separate entities again. Class Alliance represents students by the graduating class and became a branch of SA in 2008, but concerns were raised over membership and it was thought best to separate the two again.

lgleveil@syr.edu

Published on November 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Laurence: lgleveil@syr.edu | @lgleveille