Nearly 400 students chose to “VOTE BLUE” on Monday and Tuesday, resulting in a three-race sweep for the Blue Ticket student body officer candidates.
“I was very excited and relieved to have the honor of serving as Student Body President,” Elected Student Body President junior Zack Shaw said. “But [I] immediately started thinking of the progress that I wanted to make with Student Senate in the upcoming year.”
Shaw, along with the rest of the Blue Ticket, was opposed by the BUnited ticket in the runoffs and numerous other competitors in the primaries. The ticket added sophomore Brian Deal as the candidate for secretary of the assembly after the initial elections on April 1 and 2.
Deal was voted into the secretary of the assembly position with 466 votes over BUnited’s sophomore Kelsie Smith’s 239 votes.
Junior Jonathan Teich earned 393 votes over junior Russell Howland’s 310 votes for speaker of the assembly.
And finally, with only 32 votes splitting the difference, Shaw was selected as student body president with 377 votes to BUnited’s sophomore Dashawn Cason’s 345 votes. This followed Cason’s lead in the primaries.
Shaw, Teich and Deal will join their running mate junior Navid Kassam, who won his primary with 542 votes over senior Scott Roth’s 457 votes last week.
The total tally of valid votes cast in this election season was 6568 votes, with 2130 of those votes cast in the runoff election. The number of students that voted in the primary elections was 1268, and 759 students voted in the runoffs.
Speaking on behalf of his ticket, Kassam said the fact that the whole Blue Ticket won was the most surprising and exciting part.
“We were very glad that the entire team was able to win, as we have experience working together,” he said. “Not only was it an individual win for all four of us, but it was a team win.”
Kassam also said the ticket was ready to speak for the student body.
“Our team ran for office on the basis that we wanted to represent the student body and that will be an ongoing commitment over the course of the year,” he said.
Of the Blue Ticket’s specific goals, Kassam said the team would work for the approval of a mascot and an increase in school spirit. The ticket also hopes to improve the quality of academic services provided to students.
And while the campaign was difficult, Kassam said the ticket was grateful for their supporters and that the members were ready to make a difference at Bradley.
“We knew that we would have to work hard over the next week to keep campaigning and gaining support,” he said. “We were appreciative of the support we received that led us into the runoff, and we’re ready to build upon that and gain more support in order to be successful.”
