Undergraduate students at Carleton University elected 12 new councillors in the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) fall byelection.
In a crowded race for the sole vacant faculty of public affairs (FPA) seat, third-year law student Keana Cavero came out victorious. Cavero received 249 votes after seven rounds of vote redistribution.
Third-year accounting and finance student Suvi Chabra and second-year international business student Samuel Easby were elected to fill the two vacant Sprott seats. They received 93 and 70 votes, respectively, after seven rounds of vote redistribution.
Alex Barnett-Sheldon, a mechanical engineering student, and Kevin Leo, a third-year civil engineering student, were elected to fill the two vacant faculty of engineering and design seats.
After two rounds of vote redistribution, Barnett-Sheldon received 234 votes while Leo received 139.
Saad Khan, a fifth-year science student and a former engineering and design CUSA councillor, was elected to fill one of three vacant faculty of science seats with 157 votes after two rounds of vote redistribution.
He is joined by third-year health sciences student Parihan Parihan and second-year biotechnology and biochemistry student Naheed Howlader, who emerged victorious after three rounds of vote redistribution.
All four students running for the vacant faculty of arts and social sciences seats were voted in. One councillor seat remains vacant for the faculty.
Only 2,295 students voted out of a possible 25,733, resulting in a voter turnout of 8.9 per cent. While each ballot contained an option to re-open nominations, it did not win a majority anywhere.
CUSA’s last election had a 13.2 per cent voter turnout. That election included presidential candidates as well as a referendum on the removal of the Millennium Promise ancillary levy fee.
Chief returning officer Connor Plante told the Charlatan in an email there were no violations of the electoral code during the byelection.
“The byelection campaign and voting periods went well, with candidates running fair and respectful campaigns,” he wrote.
Council is scheduled to meet Nov. 7.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
