Frank Smith III was reelected as the president of Undergraduate Student Government Downtown for the 2014-2015 school year, soundly defeating Walter Cronkite School Sen. Alexis Kramer.
“I’m just speechless because Alexis did an amazing job in the campaign,” Smith said. “I was expecting it to be a little bit easier, but she definitely came out swinging, so props to her.”
Smith won 59.3 percent of the 976 votes cast for president. Downtown Assistant Elections Commissioner Ava Wiedemann said this election had the highest voter turnout ever on the Downtown campus. More than 300 additional students voted this year compared to last year.
Kramer and her Vice President of Services running mate Windsor Smith left soon after the announcement was made at noon Friday on Taylor Mall. Kramer was clearly upset by the results.
“I’d like to thank my supporters, that’s all that matters,” she said. “My team is phenomenal, but I really have nothing to say.”
Smith is the second consecutive two-term president Downtown. Joseph Grossman was the first president to earn a second term, and served during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years. Smith said he thought the campaign would be easier, but by the end he was nervous about the result.
“I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so stressed,” he said.
Corina Tapscott and Sally Lopez will join Smith in office as his vice president of services and vice president of policy, respectively.
The results of the election mark an end to the nearly three-week campaigning cycle for Kramer’s and Smith’s tickets.
Voting for the USGD presidency took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, both online and on Taylor Mall.
During the campaign, candidates from both tickets and supporters were on Taylor Mall talking with students about their platforms. Kramer’s Vice President of Policy running mate Ryan Boyd said his ticket could have spent more time on Taylor Mall and that might have impacted the outcome.
“The fact is that, ultimately, there were times that I was the only one out here, against five Frank Smith III supporters, and when it comes down to that, I can only talk to so many people,” Boyd said.
Despite the disappointing result, Boyd said he wants to continue working on issues important to students. Boyd was the only member of that ticket still on Taylor Mall after the announcement was made, which he said was understandable.
“(Kramer and Windsor Smith) were heavily invested in this, they both had a lot on it,” Boyd said “It’s something where they both took this almost personally at times, and it’s just been a tough run for them.”
Both tickets were happy with the increased voter turnout this year. Wiedemann attributed the increase to more students being involved in student organizations around campus.
“Both presidential tickets were really passionate and strong,” she said. “They put a lot of effort into their campaigning, so we got the biggest turnout ever, which is all that we want.”
Smith said that his experience as president this year has taught him exactly what he needs to do to accomplish tasks in the position. He said he will start laying the groundwork for completing the goals laid out in his platform immediately.
“I’ve really seen all the things I can change within my leadership style and within the organization,” Smith said about his experience this year.
Smith’s major campaign platform points included a revised textbook pledge to provide emphasis on buying online versions of textbooks, improving campus safety through a new shuttle transporting students to parking spots and continuing his goal of keeping students informed of USGD policy through what he called a “policy app.”
Winners of three Senate races were also announced Friday. In the only contested race, Kelsey Hess and Zack Bunting won the two senator positions for the Walter Cronkite School, earning 47.3 percent and 30.1 percent of votes, respectively. Jacob Faber, the third candidate for the Cronkite School, earned 22.6 percent.
Anthony Calderon won the Senate seat for the College of Health Solutions and Liz Gray won for College of Public Programs.
Contact the reporter at miguel.otarolaalfaro@asu.edu.
