Associated Students of UNM elections results were announced Thursday night and, in rare fashion, members of two slates were evenly represented in the results, including splitting the presidential and vice presidential seats.
Kyle Biederwolf, of the Ignite slate, was elected ASUNM president and Cheyenne Feltz, of Lobos United, vice president by a little over 1,600 voters.
Biederwolf barely beat out runner-up Randy Ko for the presidency in a tight contest, winning the seat 732 votes to 711, according to unofficial results provided by the ASUNM Elections Commission.
There were a few ballots left to be counted after the results were announced, but no changes are expected for those elected.
Biederwolf said he looks forward to working with Feltz and hopes that their collaboration will be a successful one.
“I haven’t had the chance to work with Cheyenne before and I’m really excited to do so,” Biederwolf said. “I don’t think there will be any speed bumps at all. She knows what she’s doing and I’m very excited for her.”
The senatorial results were also split in half by the two slates, with five from Ignite and five from Lobos United winning seats. All of the newly elected senators will be brand new to ASUNM senate, as no incumbents ran this year.
Michael Landgraf, a junior economics major, received 608 votes, giving him the second most votes overall for senatorial candidates, and the most from the Lobos United slate.
Landgraf said he wants to bring a new view to ASUNM and effectively represent the voice of the student body.
“I think my entire team had a lot of really great people,” Landgraf said. “I expect to bring a new positive outlook and look out for all the students by keeping the students safe on campus. I am very excited to start my position and be the voice of the students.”
Emily-Claire Stepanek, a sophomore international studies major, won her seat on the ASUNM senate with 576 votes. She said she hopes everyone elected will improve the ASUNM senate by bringing diverse ideas to the undergraduate student governing body.
“First of all, I really appreciate the support of the student body and I’m hopeful that all of the people that are newly elected are able to bring a fresh perspective to ASUNM senate,” Stepanek said. “I know that both slates had good ideas to support the student body, and I hope we are able to adapt those in the best way possible.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
1,626 undergraduates voted in the elections this semester, a slight uptick from last spring, when 1,528 took to the polls. However, the number is less than the approximately 1,750 that voted in the fall.
Denicia Aragon is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com on Twitter @DailyLobo.
