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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Tj Villamil celebrates winning the Student Government presidency early Thursday morning outside the Reitz Union.</p>

Tj Villamil celebrates winning the Student Government presidency early Thursday morning outside the Reitz Union.

Capping off an election with historic voter turnout, the Unite Party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates won with 50.27 percent of the vote.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 10,644 students voted — the highest turnout since 1983, when 12,191 students cast ballots.

Unite Party presidential candidate Tj Villamil and vice presidential candidate Sabine Justilien won the president-vice president ticket by 114 votes over Students Party presidential candidate Alex Cornillie and his running mate, Jesse Schmitt.

Juan Rodriguez , Unite Party candidate for treasurer, won with 53.65 percent of total votes over Carly Wilson.

A majority vote is needed to win a position, and the election codes do not list a need for a recount unless no candidate captures a majority of the votes.

Villamil gave a short speech to his supporters.

"This wasn't victory for me," he bellowed. "This wasn't a victory for Juan and Sabine. This was a victory for students."

Supervisor of Elections Toni Megna announced the results to supporters of both political parties outside the Reitz Union's Orange & Brew around midnight Wednesday.

She had to scream to be heard above the crowd.

Megna declined to comment on a reason for the turnout increase.

Students Party vice presidential candidate Schmitt attributed the increase to his party.

"No one has ever done what we've done, and I think all of campus recognizes it," he said.

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Justilien applauded the strength of all the candidates.

"It was really close because you had legit candidates," she said. "[Students Party candidates] had a firm backing, and I really support them."

UF students had two days to vote for representatives to the Student Senate and the executive SG offices.

Both parties nominated candidates for Student Body President and Vice President, who are on one joined ticket, as well as candidates for Student Body Treasurer.

Each semester, 50 new senators are elected.

Unite Party nominated 49 candidates for Senate, and the Students Party nominated 34 candidates.

Two students ran independent from either political party.

Unite won 31 Senate seats and the Students Party won 19.

Supporters and candidates from both parties campaigned from Feb. 1 until the end of the elections at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Some controversy surrounded the elections.

"I think it was a dirty year with sensationalized media, but students didn't listen to it," said Unite Party spokeswoman Christina Bonarrigo. "They listened to the Unite Party, and they knew what we were about."

Megna said 14 complaints were filed by the deadline, which is before elections results are read.

Two complaints were already handled, and one against the Students Party was postponed. It will be heard by the Supreme Court on Sunday.

Eleven complaints were filed Wednesday, 10 by the Students Party against the Unite Party and one by the Unite Party against the Students Party.

The Election Commission already recommended the disqualification of the three Students Party engineering Senate candidates.

Any decisions made by the commission can be appealed to the Supreme Court.

It also recommended that engineering students' votes for the Students Party executive ticket not be counted.

The Supreme Court will meet Sunday to make the final ruling on this as well as any other appeals the Students Party makes.

The Election Commission will meet Friday to hear the rest of the complaints.

"We'll have to wait and see on Sunday," Cornillie said.

A referendum to add two justices to the UF Supreme Court passed with 82.49 percent of the vote.

There are currently four justices in addition to the Supreme Justice.

Students were not required to vote on the referendum; they could have chosen to abstain.

Tj Villamil celebrates winning the Student Government presidency early Thursday morning outside the Reitz Union.

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