 "Photo: Alison Mehlsak/ tufts daily")
 "Photo: Josh Berlinger | Tufts Daily")
Senator Brandon Rattiner won the Tufts Community Union (TCU) presidency yesterday, with Senator Chas Morrison finishing in second place.
Rattiner, who ran a campaign centered on building community, assumed the presidency immediately after the results were certified.
“It’s one of the most exciting moments of my entire life,” Rattiner told the Daily in the early hours of this morning. “I’m honored by the opportunity to represent such an incredible school, and my heart goes out to Chas and Samia because they really ran such wonderful campaigns.”
Students voting for president could choose first and second choices in order to facilitate an instant runoff if needed. Rattiner, a junior, won 47 percent of first-choice ballots; Morrison, a sophomore, received 37 percent of the vote; and 14 percent went to Senator Samia Zahran, a sophomore. Two percent of voters abstained.
No candidate won a majority, so Zahran was eliminated for coming in last place, and an instant runoff took place. With second-choice ballots included this time, Rattiner netted 52 percent of the vote while Morrison received 40 percent.
Yesterday’s ballot also featured two referenda and one “non-binding referendum question.”
A proposal to expand the TCU Constitution’s nondiscrimination policy to include the phrase “gender identity and expression” passed, as did a referendum to add a fifth member to the Elections Committee (ECOM). The ballot question, which asked voters whether the Senate should invest $300,000 worth of recovered funds in the university’s endowment, passed as well.
Morrison remained in good spirits after his loss.
“We ran a great campaign, and I’m just grateful for all my staff and all the volunteers who put in so much time and effort,” he told the Daily. “It was a wonderful experience … And even though things didn’t work out the way I had hoped, I’m looking forward to continuing working on behalf of the student body next year.”
Zahran told the Daily she was glad the election was over.
“I had fun,” she said. “I’m just glad it’s done with. I’m relieved. I am proud of myself because I started so late … I’m just glad that I got people to vote who don’t normally vote.”
She had harsh words for Rattiner, whose supporters she accused of taking down Morrison’s signs the night before and committing other campaign violations.
“I’m just disappointed with Brandon, that’s all,” she said. “He’s immature -- his whole team, in taking down Chas’ posters. I feel like I’m not comfortable with him leading the school, because that shows very poor behavior and a bad attitude to have for a leader of the school, and that is indicative of his character.”
Zahran declined to say how she knew about the violations. On Sunday, there was a problem involving Morrison’s lawn signs and a Rattiner staffer, but Morrison said on Sunday night that the problem had been a misunderstanding and had been resolved.
Weldai did say yesterday, though, that ECOM had received a variety of complaints throughout the campaign about campaign violations, although no candidate him or herself had been specifically accused of misconduct. Those violations were generally related to postering, chalking and campus signage, Weldai said.
Forty-eight percent of undergraduates cast a ballot in yesterday’s election.
“It was a perfectly normal, clean, rather boring day,” said ECOM Chair Adam Weldai, who added that ECOM received no complaints yesterday about the election.
The percentage of students who voted jumped nine percent from last year, although voting last year was nine hours shorter due to a problem with WebCenter. Forty-five percent of eligible voters cast a ballot two years ago.
Weldai, a senior, said the number of students who participated in the process this time was “awesome.”
“I think the turnout represents the student body’s level of interest in what’s going on,” he said, which he said was high despite the fact that two voided freshman Senate elections had caused the presidential election to shift back to the last day of classes.
Last night, Rattiner celebrated his win at a party at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house. He said he was happy the election had finally come to a close, giving him a chance to relax with friends.
He had run a campaign that focused on the “here and now” for students, aiming to build community within the student body, and said he wanted to be realistic about what the Senate could accomplish.
During his campaign, Rattiner said he aimed to bolster school pride and promote intellectualism at Tufts.
“Tonight, I’m just going to take the night off and really thank the people who … helped make this happen,” he said after hearing the results shortly after midnight, noting in particular the dedication of his campaign manager, sophomore Katy Simon.
Outgoing TCU President Duncan Pickard, a junior, last night praised Rattiner’s ability to lead, which he said Rattiner had proven this year on Senate.
“I think that that style of leadership is very effective in realizing projects that benefit the student body,” said Pickard, adding that all of the candidates performed well.
“I was really impressed with their campaigns,” he said. “The great thing about running for TCU president is that no matter what happens … you’ve already made an impact on Tufts.”
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