Connor Harrington was elected freshman class president Wednesday, Sept. 19, in the Undergraduate Student Government fall elections’ highly contested and closest race.

Harrington and his closest competitor, Nicholas Gobran, finished with just a 10 percent difference after three days of voting.

Three other candidates ran for the freshman class president position, and 411 votes were cast.  

As for the other seven positions filled in this election, Michael Gaytko received the top votes for one of the two freshman class senator positions. Benjamin Dymit was also chosen as freshman class senator.

Gaytko and Dymit won in a field of six candidates for the position.

Christian Roemhildt was elected freshman residential senator and junior Anna Burns was elected transfer senator, both beating out one other candidate.

Three candidates ran for legislative affairs senator, and freshman Alex Marshall won the race.

Tom Deiley will fill the junior class senator position that was vacated by the representative chosen in USG’s spring election. Deiley was uncontested, but received 96 percent of the vote.

Junior Justin Mullee ran uncontested for commuter senator and was elected.

In total, eight positions were filled in the elections. USG President Mike Orth said 20 candidates ran for the open positions.

More than 800 voters participated, which was up from last fall’s 600, Orth said.

Orth said the USG council was more proactive this year and promoted upcoming elections at orientations, move-in day, on a new Facebook page and in the Anderson Student Center. The council saw higher vote and candidate participation as a result.

“We really stepped up our recruiting,” Orth said.

In another effort to recruit voters, upperclassmen received an email from their class president with a link to vote online.

“That was a great way to get in touch with people who might not see the campaigning or be on campus to really experience that,” Orth said.

Orth said all of USG’s elected council positions are now filled, but the three appointed positions, student spirituality chair, student athlete representative and ROTC representative, still remain open.

New members will be sworn in on the council’s retreat Sept. 22-23 at the Gainey Conference Center.

Heidi Enninga can be reached at enni5264@stthomas.edu.