News

SGA run-off election to be held Friday

The polls for the Student Government Association presidential race run-off vote will reopen Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. and close at 2 p.m. that afternoon.

The SGA Election Commission met after the polls closed Tuesday afternoon. After the results yielded a race that was too close to call, the commission made the decision to have a run-off election Thursday.

SGA presidential candidates Bobby Adams and Nathan Cole worked together to come to the agreement that Friday would be the best day for the run-off election before approaching the Election Commission for approval.

“The Election Commission members carefully considered this request from the candidates and made a decision that was in the best interest of both the students and the candidates,” current SGA President Emily McDonald said.

The Election Commission is comprised of 11 members.  One is also a member of the SGA Supreme Court, two are 'civilian' students and the rest are members of the senate or executive cabinet. 

"One of the reasons that the candidates expressed for having the run-off on Friday was to give themselves and their supporters more time to prepare for the next election and also recover from the Tuesday election,” McDonald said. “Elections can be very draining and require a lot of time and energy.”

Students will be able to vote for SGA president the same way they did for Tuesday’s election, via the SGA voting server on Tennessee Tech’s website. Students will be able to proxy vote if they cannot access the site. A student who wishes to proxy vote must submit a photocopy of their Eagle Card, their vote, their signature and their Tech email and T-number. Proxy votes can be submitted to the SGA mailbox in the SGA office located on the first floor of the Roaden University Center.  This vote will be based on a plurality, not a majority. This means the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of whether or not they get the majority of the votes.

EDITOR'S NOTE: To better cover the run-off, The Oracle will be publishing on Monday April 20 rather than Friday April 17.