Residence Hall Association campaigners said many residents voted Friday in the newly ordered elections, despite hot weather and predictions of voter apathy.
RHA Executive Board decided Wednesday night to hold a second election in Herget Hall and the Horseshoe.
Both halls reported erroneous results in the original election held April 9, said RHA Elections Commissioner Adam French.
Opposing presidential and vice presidential candidates Chris Broussard and Lauren Fontenot and Nathan Boudreaux and Doug Fields campaigned outside the halls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Boudreaux told The Reveille in a previous article he was disappointed with the board’s decision.
Boudreaux said voters already had chosen a winner, and another election was unnecessary.
Boudreaux and Fields won the majority vote in the April 9 election, but three appeals and two Presidential Assembly decisions have left RHA without verified winners.
All candidates agreed residents want to see RHA make changes rather than cause controversy over elections.
When the Executive Board announced its decision for another election, many members thought voter apathy might occur.
“People are sick of being confronted about the issue,” said Chris Trew, a general studies junior and Boudreaux/Fields campaigner.
Laura Sikes, an English and history sophomore, planned to avoid voting Friday but was confronted by campaigners.
“They did not really say much about their platforms, so I do not know anything about them,” Sikes said.
Sikes said RHA lacks a strong presence and often fails to interact with residents.
“I only saw one flyer [about the election Friday] around the halls,” Sikes said.
Erica McCreedy, an English and theater freshman, did not vote in the original election but voted Friday.
McCreedy said she thinks RHA has a big presence and power in Residential Life.
“They have the ability to make so many potential changes, and they deal with a lot of really big issues,” McCreedy said.
Broussard said voter turnout Friday was decent.
“We get about the same response in general from year to year,” Broussard said.
Boudreaux said the Elections Commission plans to announce winners Wednesday.