On April 4, the Rules & Elections committee released the results of the primaries, certifying that President of the Union candidates Matthew Rand ’19 and Rasika Ekhalikar ’18 will be on the final ballot. They received 998 and 779 votes, respectively. Keegan Caraway ’18 received 544 votes and Harrison Leinweber ’18 received 497 votes.
Rand, in a statement emailed to The Poly, said, “I want to thank the 2,964 students who took time out of their day to participate. It was a huge turnout and helped to ensure that our Student Union has a bright future with strong leaders.” He added, “I would also like to thank the 998 individuals who chose me to be their President of the Union.”
Reflecting on her campaign so far, Ekhalikar said, “It was an honor to be chosen in such a strong field of candidates. Their platforms and campaigns made me better.”
Leinweber offered his thoughts on the race. “I feel as though Rasika’s vision and actions most closely match my own; I would like to see her assume the role of President of the Union next term. This being said, I encourage everyone to attend or tune into the final debates in order to make an informed decision on their candidate of choice.”
At press time, The Poly was awaiting comment from Caraway.
Another PU debate and a Grand Marshal question and answer session are scheduled for 7 pm on Wednesday in the McNeil Room. Final voting begins on Thursday at 9 am, and polls will be set up in Commons, the DCC Great Hall, and the west lobby of the Rensselaer Union until 7 pm.