Pictured Above: Student Government has seen voter turnout drop in recent fall midterm elections. Last week’s special election was held completely online, whereas previous elections were online and in-person.
Sophie Ojdanic | The Crow’s Nest
By Trevor Martindale
Only 29 St. Petersburg students voted in last week’s uncontested Student Government special election.
Three of the four vacant Senate seats were filled and the Campus Council remains empty.
Since the special election was uncontested, candidates only needed one vote to be elected.
Junior political science major Connor Baird and sophomore marine biology major Cassidy Delbango tied for the most senate votes, receiving 27 votes each.
Junior psychology major Whitney O’Keefe earned 26 votes.
O’Keefe also ran for the Campus Council, receiving 29 votes. Since the Senate is a higher office, she will assume her seat in the Senate.
In his second year in Student Government, Baird plans on emphasizing the importance of St. Petersburg in the newly consolidated Student Government.
Student Government newcomers Delbango and O’Keefe are both looking to prioritize the concerns of their constituents.
Delbango plans to focus on creating a sense of student involvement in the midst of COVID-19 guidelines.
O’Keefe hopes to proactively reach out to her constituents and heed their concerns.
The St. Petersburg Student Government plans on holding another special election this semester to fill its last vacancy in the Senate and its entire Campus Council.
A vacant Campus Council impacts local funding for student organizations, as the Campus Council is meant to fulfill the role of interim funding, where they would make recommendations for activity and service fee funding.
According to St. Petersburg Deputy Financial Officer Brandon Castle, the system-wide Activity and Service Recommendation Committee will handle local funding until the Campus Council seats are filled.
Sophie Ojdanic contributed to this report.
