The March 8 Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) election brought the “Vote For Us” slate, consisting of Karim Khamisa for president, Ariel Norman for vice-president (administration) and George Parry for vice-president (programming) into power as the executive for the upcoming academic year.
The election was held as a yes or no ballot, a result of the “ABC Party” dropping out, leaving “Vote For Us” unopposed.
First-year history student Chanel Craigie said, “When I went to vote I was under the impression I was going to be able to vote for somebody else, not just a yes or no ballot.”
“There was no information at the station saying these people dropped out,” Craigie said.
This type of confusion was common according to Khamisa, who said, “A lot of them didn’t understand that it was still a yes/no vote. They were under the assumption that since it was only one team running it was already a sealed deal.”
In spite of the confusion, first-year law student Dania Najam said, “I’m pretty confident in who we have. I thought they had some pretty valid ideas, and I think a lot of their ideas are appealing to students.”
The lack of competition did not sit as well with Craigie, however, who said, “I was disappointed that there weren’t more platforms, more options to choose from. I understand that’s not something that can be changed, people either want to run or they don’t.”
Looking to the coming year, Khamisa said, “One of the things we look foreword to the most is now being able to serve the students and show them that the drive and motivation is not going to stop just because the election is over.”