Tyler Martinez (26C) defeated Seth Weinfield (27C) in a runoff election this afternoon to secure the Student Government Association (SGA) presidency. Zoe Grotjan (24Ox, 26B), who ran alongside Martinez, was elected vice president.
Martinez garnered 802 (58.36%) votes compared to Weinfield’s 572 (41.63%) votes. The vice presidential race was a closer call, with Grotjan earning 707 (51.45%) votes to pull ahead of Maahi Sethi (27C), who received 667 (48.54%) votes. In total, 1,374 students voted in the runoff elections, 334 less than the general election that closed on Feb. 28.
This marks a shift from the general election, in which Weinfield garnered 615 (36%) votes while Martinez amassed 583 (34.13%) votes. Similarly, Sethi ended the vice presidential general election ahead of Grotjan, with the candidates earning 700 (40.98%) and 558 (32.66%) votes.
Since none of the candidates received more than 50% of the votes cast in the general elections, the races advanced to runoffs. Treasurer of Alpha Tau Omega Walker Liu (26C) and Alpha Kappa Psi Vice President of Service Kenneth Power (27C) ran on a joint ticket to be SGA’s next president and vice president, but were unable to continue to the runoff after both placed third in the general election.
Martinez currently serves as the Emory University National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) second vice president, while Grotjan is the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Council SGA representative. The pair have plans to add two student representatives to the University’s Board of Trustees. Additionally, Martinez and Grotjan said they want to work with the University Senate’s Committee for Open Expression and other student government organizations at Emory to rewrite the current Respect for Open Expression Policy. The Martinez-Grotjan ticket also campaigned on creating a system for peer advising to “help lighten the burden” for the Office of Financial Aid, in addition to providing aid to students navigating the process.
Many student organizations from around campus endorsed Martinez and Grotjan, including the Puerto Rican Student Association, Emory NAACP, Muslim Students Association, Young Democrats of Emory and Black Student Alliance. Liu also endorsed Martinez in the runoff election.
Martinez and Grotjan did not immediately respond to the Wheel’s request for comment.
Additionally, OxSGA Speaker of the Senate Braden Newsome (25Ox) was elected to serve as the next College Council vice president with 682 (62.85%) votes, surpassing 403 (37.14%) of votes of no confidence. The race advanced to a runoff between Newsome and no confidence after Emory College of Arts and Sciences students cast 418 (34.03%) votes of no confidence and 410 (33.38%) votes for Newsome in the general election. Emory student ambassador Ellie Estridge (28C), who received 400 (32.57%) votes, did not qualify for the runoff.
Newsome hopes to prioritize mental health services and reduce the amount of “unnecessary busywork” students must complete for classes. He plans to diversify the Emory community by expanding funding for cultural clubs and other resources for students. Additionally, Newsome intends to act as a liaison between students and administration and improve transparency between students and College Council.
Newsome did not immediately respond to the Wheel’s request for comment.
Spencer Friedland (26C) is from Long Island, N.Y. While not working at the Wheel, he is a member of Emory Disability Rights, Education Activism and Mentoring and the Franklin Fellows program. In his free time, he can be found watching the New York Yankees or going to the movies.
