Following a monthlong delay of the certification of the 2021-2022 Student Association (SA) Elections, Caroline Sandleitner, a senior double-majoring in history and philosophy, politics and law, will be the next Binghamton University Council representative.

Sandleitner won by 40 votes, defeating Eduardo Gomez, a senior majoring in systems science and industrial engineering, and Jacob Eckhaus, current SA vice president for finance (VPF) and a senior majoring in accounting. While the election was held on March 22, the results of the BU Council representative election were contested by the Graduate Student Organization (GSO). The GSO raised concerns with the method of vote-keeping for the position since it was being counted via B-Engaged to accommodate votes for both undergraduate and graduate students.

The 2021-2022 SA Elections was the first fully digital election cycle along with a new ranked-choice voting system, which brought unseen challenges and an outcry for reforms following the late BU Council representative confirmation. During a SA Congress meeting held on April 27, students proposed an amendment with the hope of addressing these issues during the election cycle. The amendment would force the SA Elections and Judiciary Committee to create annual Election Codes, including a timeliness clause before the penultimate Congress meeting of each fall semester. Only when both the Election Codes and the Election Calendar is approved, then the SA Election cycle can begin.

This amendment comes after a grievance was filed by Sandleitner to the SA Joint Grievance Board on March 31, accusing the Elections and Judiciary Committee for unconstitutional conduct in terms of interpreting clauses within the SA management policies. The amendment was discussed and was tabled for the next SA Congress meeting on May 4.

Following the announcement of her victory for the BU Council representative position, Sandleitner said she is ready to go to work and wants to ensure a situation like this does not happen again.

“Although I am relieved that the election is over, I do feel the pressure to step up and deliver for my peers,” Sandleitner wrote in an email. “More than anything, I’m excited for the opportunity to represent [BU] students to the best of my abilities. The past month was stressful given the uncertainty surrounding the election. However, I was less worried about whether I won the position and more concerned about ensuring that campus-wide elections will run smoothly for future candidates.”

Sandleitner said she views the new amendment as a step in the right direction, but wants to offer her personal ideas and perspective on how to resolve such issues.

“If [the SA Congress] finds it fit to adopt this amendment, then I am confident it will be the right course of action to mitigate future election issues,” Sandleitner wrote. “In my capacity as a Congress representative for [Off Campus College Council], I do have ideas to improve future SA elections and will be discussing those at the upcoming [SA] Congress meeting on May 4, 2021. My greatest advice would be that students should remain actively involved in the decision-making processes of their elected representatives. The [SA] runs best when students engage to make change.”