After a whirlwind campaign and unprecedented voter turnout, Melissa Carson was elected to be Tufts Community Union (TCU) president last night, besting opponent Alison Clarke. Unconfirmed reports late last night said that Amendment III had failed, but the Elections Board (ELBO) said that any speculation would be premature.
Though the presidential results are unofficial pending electronic confirmation, ELBO chair Joe Coletti confirmed early this morning that he had informed Carson of her victory.
ELBO estimates put voter turnout at 52 percent, though Coletti said he would know the exact results until later today. Though he declined to specify the margin with which Carson won, he did say the results were outside any possible the margin of error.
An "incredibly excited" Carson said she was grateful and thrilled that the voters had selected her over Clarke. She credited her more personal efforts to meet students as one reason for her success. "We stayed away from paper and tried to stay personal; Alison was definitely more visible on paper," Carson said.
Last night, those against Amendment III - which would have stripped culture representatives of their senate votes - expressed satisfaction at reports it had not passed. "I'm happy culture reps will continue to have the right to vote in the senate. Democracy is about minority voices being heard," freshman Carlton Bailey said. "The referendum made was seeking to remove a very important 'bridge' in the Senate and failed to provide adequate alternative methods."
Supporters of amendment three said they were disappointed over reports the amendment had not passed. Some alleged that supporters of culture rep voting had torn down their posters of and questioned the opposition's tactics.
"They hide behind direct chalkings of 'Vote No on III,' ripping down the opposition's posters, and they use words such as racist, homophobic, and nazi to scare and deceive people into voting their way," outgoing Senator Ed Schwehm said.
Bailey said that "racism has existed in America since its very beginning and it continues to be that way - even though to a much smaller extent. It is a problem that should be addressed and not ignored." Interest in the Amendment III issue helped bring out the vote, a trend which Carson said she hoped would continue.
"The senators understand what you can get from students if you go out and make an effort," Carson said. "I want this dialogue to be carried out and to be pursued on both sides."
Both candidates credited online voting as a large part of the unprecedented turnout. In last year's presidential election, 33 percent of the student body voted, and 28 percent cast ballots in 2000.
Though Carson said the race was an intense competition, she said she had tried to keep the campaign fun. "We didn't want to get lost in the competition of it," she said. "We tried to do some fun things, like going around with a Jumbo costume in the dining halls."
Clarke called her opponent early this morning, and congratulated her on the victory.
"I'm disappointed, because I thought I was the better candidate," Clarke said. But she said she hoped the two would work together next year. Clarke plans to be an active member of the Senate, but does not plan to run for vice president.
Students say that Carson's experience was a major factor in their votes.
"I voted for Carson because she had more experience," sophomore Alex Bailey said. "I did like the fact that Clarke went around campus, and actually came to my room and asked me if I had any suggestions.
"But in the end, I felt Carson would do a better job running the Senate, which seemed more important because the student body is so apathetic towards student government," he added.
Clarke's supporters credited her with running an effective campaign.
"I met Clarke in January and she made a good impression; she seemed sincere," Junior Samantha Diamond said. "She has done a really good job of campaigning... I saw her going around dorms and outside Dewick."
