The online polls on SOLAR closed Friday afternoon, April 26, signaling the end of the runoff election process for Stony Brook University’s Undergraduate Student Government. The runoff elections occurred as a result of none of the candidates in the running for Executive Vice President and Vice President of Student Life receiving a majority of votes cast in the initial elections. Kia Valkonen and Tyrik Jiang were eliminated from their respective elections after the first round of voting by the student body ended last Friday, April 20.
Aimee Pomeroy was elected the new Executive Vice President, replacing former EVP Deborah Machalow, and defeating S.A.F.E. Party member Jason Sockin by a margin of over 300 votes.
Patrick Abelein, a Seawolves for Change party member alongside Pomeroy and new USG President Anna Lubitz, was elected the new Vice President of Student Life. He defeated Nick Ela, another S.A.F.E. Party candidate, by 155 votes. Abelein replaces the former VP of Student Life, Deron Hill.
In comparison to the original elections, there were approximately 700 less votes total for each of these positions in the runoff elections. Support for Seawolves for Change party members Pomeroy and Abelein, decreased by 286 votes, while S.A.F.E party members, Sockin and Ela saw a 399 vote drop-off.
In the initial election for VP of Student Life, Ela lost to Abelein by a mere 25 votes, but saw a more significant loss in the runoffs. Sockin suffered much more in the second election, losing 190 votes. Pomeroy lost only 157 student votes, but still earned enough to beat her competitor by almost twice as many votes.
The runoff elections have brought the final tally of Seawolves for Change members present in USG to a whopping 22 seats, including four of the seven officer positions and three class representative positions. The party also holds 13 out of the 17 Senate seats for the College of Arts and Sciences, one of two Senate seats for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the only Senate position for Health Science. By holding 22 out of 32 total positions, Seawolves for Change will have over a two-thirds majority in USG if they all vote cohesively.
