The Fall 2020 Student Assembly election drew to a close when the results were released to the public on October 5, 2020. The results of the presidential and the university assembly elections were delayed due to confusion over the IRV method of voting raised by candidate for the University Assembly, Avery Bower, and others.
Confirming almost all predictions, Executive Vice President, Catherine Huang, won the election for President of the Student Assembly, beating Representative Uche Chukwukere by 132 votes in the second round transfer of votes. Huang and Chukwukere’s savvy social media campaigns in an era of social-distancing received hundreds of likes (and likely more views) on social media. This stood in stark contrast with political newcomer Dillon Anadkat’s strategy, which put less emphasis on social media and focused more on reaching out to voters directly.
Surprisingly, the Undergraduate Representative to the University election was closer than the SA presidential election, with Bennett Sherr beating Avery Bower by only 103 votes in the fourth round transfer of votes. Both Bower and Bennett launched social media-heavy campaigns, seeking high-profile endorsements. Sherr secured the endorsements of The Advocate, Planned Parenthood Generation Action of Cornell, and the Cornell University Women’s Health Initiative among other organizations. Bower secured the endorsements of the Network of Enlightened Women and the Students For SA Reform coalition. In addition to using social media, Bower also launched a mass-email campaign in the final days of the election.
During the election, Bower ran on a strong centrist platform, advocating for increased mental/spiritual health resources, ensuring a more equitable residential system, and supporting greater protections for religious holidays. In contrast, Sherr ran on a platform to defund and abolish CUPD, freezing tuition, and greater sustainability. Sherr’s alignment with the platform of national protest movements likely propelled him to the finish line with voters.
The Students For SA Reform scored several victories in its bid to initiate Student Assembly reform. College of Engineering Representative candidate, Annie Vail, and Students with Disabilities Representative At-Large candidate, Raquel Zohar, both endorsed by Students For SA Reform, won their seats in Monday’s election. Additionally, during the election, several students have expressed interest in abolishing the Student Assembly altogether. Furthermore, several reformist candidates gained major traction during this election, notably Avery Bower who was also endorsed by the Students For SA Reform coalition.
Like most recent SA elections, this fall 2020 election experienced abysmal voter turnout. Of all eligible voters, only 16.85% voted in the University Assembly and SA presidential elections, which was less than half of the voter turnout in the 2019 SA election. It is surprising that, given increased student concerns about candidate proposals to abolish campus police, turnout was this low. As highlighted in my recent interview with candidate Dillon Anadkat, few students actually know of the Student Assembly’s existence, let alone its power of the purse. Additionally, the mostly virtual campaign may have exacerbated the existing lack of voter turnout, as candidates could not hold in-person events.
So, what does this election mean for university policy? Even though several candidates have promised to defund and abolish Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), this is unlikely to be an initiative taken up by university administrators. Earlier in the summer, President Pollack announced a series of initiatives to strengthen community involvement in public safety, which included the strengthening of the Public Safety Advisory Board and a decrease in CUPD involvement in noncriminal offenses and nonviolent incidents. None of President Pollack’s statements called for the defunding or abolition of CUPD.
This election might also mark an electoral turning point for moderates on Cornell’s campus. University Assembly candidate, Avery Bower, was one such centrist running in this election. Despite being criticized for his moderate positions by his opponent, Bower was still able to garner almost forty-eight percent of the vote. It seems that many voters found Bower’s centrist platform an appealing alternative to their first choice of candidates. Perhaps running a centrist campaign could be a winning pathway for a cross-party group of campus moderates.
With its pause in campaigning, reactivation, and second fall ballot, this Student Assembly election has certainly been the most interesting. The challenges of a fully virtual campaign will certainly remain with us as long as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. The lessons learned in communication, messaging, and endorsements will serve as a reminder for aspiring candidates in the future.
