Compass Elections: The GUSA Senate Election 101
The Georgetown University Student Association Senate elections concluded on September 20 with the announcement of the winners by the Election Commission. (Wikimedia Commons)
Voting for the Fall 2020 Georgetown University Student Association Senate (GUSA) election ended on September 19 at 11:59 PM EST. The Election Commission announced the results via its Twitter account on September 20, at 8:00 AM EST.
The winners of the Fall 2020 GUSA Senate election are:
Class of 2024
Adora Adeyemi (MSB ‘24)
Bella Fassett (SFS ‘24)
Camber Vincent (SFS ‘24)
Deborah Wey (SFS ‘24)
Dominic Gordon (SFS ‘24)
Lara Sophia Santana (SFS ‘24)
Nirvana Khan (SFS ‘24)
Class of 2023
Anndy Serrano (COL ‘23)
Erique Perez (COL ‘23)
Kariel Bennett (COL ‘23)
Katie Wang (SFS ‘23)
Leo Rassieur (COL ‘23)
Makayla Jeffries (COL ‘23)
Class of 2022
Daniella Sanchez (COL ‘22)
Henry Dai (SFS ‘22)
Jordan Brown (‘22)
Melanie Cruz-Morales (COL ‘22)
Olivia Kleier (SFS ‘22)
Rowlie Flores (COL ‘22)
Class of 2021
Ivan Jimenez (COL ‘21)
Leo Teixeira (COL ‘21)
Lily McGrail (COL ‘21)
Natalie Rodriguez La Fleur (‘21)
Samantha Moreland (COL ‘21)
Winston Ardoin (SFS ‘21)
David Park (MSB ‘23)
Nicole Sanchez (SFS ‘22)
William Leonard (COL ‘23)
Yaritza Aguilar (COL ‘22)
Their platforms focus on improving and expanding the financial aid system; better serving and supporting students of color, first-generation-low-income students, minority students, women, and LGBTQ students; expanding Georgetown sustainability initiatives; advocating on behalf of clubs and students during funding allocations; and pushing for the University to address sexual assault on campus.
The GUSA Election Commission began the Fall 2020 Senate election process on August 28 with an email to the student body announcing its information sessions and the election timeline. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 14th Senate voted to extend its term to the fall semester, and as such, all senate seats were open for election this September.
Candidates initially had until September 7 to declare their candidacy, or September 10 if they accompanied their declaration with 50 signatures, after which date campaigning began. However, staunch criticism of GUSA in various chats and on social media platforms disturbed the normal course of the campaign. Four incumbent senators withdrew their candidacies during this period of turmoil in the campaign, including Senators Zahra Wakilzada (SFS ‘23) and Sofia Negrete-Retamales (SFS ‘23), who cited the body’s hostility towards students—especially women—of color. Senators Eric Bazail-Eimil (SFS ‘23) and Zach Volpe (SFS ‘23) withdrew from the campaign as well, with Volpe resigning his seat in the process. Both were mentioned in group chat discussions of the GUSA Senate and its perceived failures.
Their withdrawal, along with the unrelated withdrawal of other candidates earlier in the campaign period and the withdrawal of Lydia Schiller (COL ‘21) from the ballot, meant that seats representing the Class of 2023 and Class of 2021 would remain open and that many candidates would win their elections unopposed. This led to student demands for an extension of the petitioning period to allow for additional, last-minute candidates. The GUSA Senate called an emergency session on September 16, leading to the cancellation of all planned town halls by the Election Commission excluding for the Class of 2024.
After a contentious debate that centered on whether incumbent senators running for re-election could vote on the proposal due to an alleged conflict of interest, the Senate approved the measure with 15 votes in favor, two opposed, and three abstentions. A petitioning period began on September 16 at 10:00 PM EST and closed the next day at 2:00 PM EST, which allowed an additional 13 candidates to join the ballot, including some of the eventual winners.
Polling opened at 10:00 PM EST on September 17 and closed 50 hours later. Turnout was at 26.4 percent for the entire student body, 40.4 percent for the Class of 2024, 29.5 percent for the Class of 2023, 24.8 percent for the Class of 2022, and 12.4 percent for the Class of 2021. The 14th Senate will meet in the evening of September 20 to vote to certify the election results; the 15th Senate will convene on September 27 under the leadership of Bryce Badger (MSB ‘21), GUSA Vice President and President of the Senate.
Editor’s Note: Our Publisher, Felipe Lobo Koerich (SFS ‘21) is the Vice-Chair of the GUSA Election Commission. He had no role in the writing and publishing of this article.