By: Jehiely Balabarca
The race for Southern Adventist University’s Student Association (SA) executive positions has drawn attention to the elections of the new president for next year. While the presidential race saw a record-breaking number of candidates this year, only one student applied for the social vice president (VP) role.
In the primary election on Feb. 20, four candidates ran for the presidential position: John Hargy, Shengzhe Zhao, who goes by Chino, Alexis Garcia and Alejandro Robles. The results narrowed the candidates from four to two: John Hargy and Shengzhe Zhao (Chino). The executive vice president position has two contenders, Jeaneva Bautista and Heaven Robles, while the social VP race has just one applicant, Esmeralda Paulino.
Last year’s election saw fewer candidates in the presidential race, with only three students running for the position. According to Dennis Negron, vice president for Student Development, this year’s increase to four candidates marks the highest level of competition in at least 11 years.
“Having four people run for president is the most that I’ve ever seen,” Negron said. “We’ve had three before, but never four.”
The social VP position, however, did not attract the same level of interest. Last year, three candidates ran for the role, compared to just one this year.
Negron acknowledged that the criticism SA positions can face could impact potential applicants, but pushed back on the idea that criticism had a significant chilling effect.
“At first, we thought that might be the problem because applications weren’t coming in, and we were worried people didn’t want to go through that [criticism],” he said. “But then, the applications started coming in.”
While the presidential race saw an unprecedented number of candidates, the Social VP role had significantly fewer applicants than in previous years. Last year, three students ran for the position, compared to just one this year.
Election outcomes aren’t always straightforward, especially for unopposed candidates. While most secure their positions with a simple yes-or-no vote from their peers, there has been at least one case where an unopposed candidate lost.
According to Negron, this happened because the student chose not to campaign at all, leading to a lack of voter support. Though it’s unclear whether the loss was due to voters actively rejecting the candidate or simply not being engaged enough to vote, it highlights the importance of visibility, even in uncontested races.
Negron said all candidates, including sole contenders, need at least 50.1% of the vote to win the election.
Losing presidential candidates could still secure a role in SA leadership if they choose to apply for open cabinet positions once applications reopen. While not an automatic process, candidates who don’t win the presidency may pursue roles within the executive team, provided they meet the qualifications and are selected through the appropriate channels.
“It’s possible that someone who didn’t win the presidency could apply for one of the other positions in the cabinet when applications open again,” Negron said.
With SA elections approaching, attention is focused on the remaining candidates and the Student Senate, which may need to appoint students to any unfilled positions.
Despite Southern’s enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, voter turnout has been limited. In the recent election, only about 1,086 students cast their votes, as reported by the Southern Accent. The final vote for this year’s SA executive positions is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27.
