The first election convention was held on March 27 in the theater with 72 delegates casting their votes to represent their advisements. ASB president and sophomore Liz Moerman ran the convention with much of the schedule mirroring the federal government election process. After the last round of voting, Moerman announced the newly appointed leaders for 2018-19 shown above.

“So, I helped run the convention by helping emcee some of the parts of the event as well as helping organize it, and it was really interesting because it was the first year I was not running as a candidate,” Moerman said. “Being able to see the behind the scenes part of the convention was very interesting. For example, I got to organize a game in between for the convention. Once the delegates stopped voting, and we had to count the number of votes, I helped lead the game and work alongside the delegates. ”

Delegates were seated in the first five rows and given time to discuss with delegates from their own advisement before the first round of voting could take place. To refresh the candidates’ speeches, ASB advisers Sarah Dean and Emily Sheridan asked each candidate questions, ranging from future school plans to certain qualifications for the position. While the delegates cast their votes during the three rounds, candidates waited along the side, attentive and nervous for the announcement.

“I thought it was a great opportunity to participate in an ASB event; it was also a great opportunity to learn more about the democratic process,” sophomore delegate Patrick Connolly said.

Delegates cast their votes at the end of each round, determining the house vice presidents, athletic commissioners, clubs commissioners, spirit and rally commissioners, student activities coordinator, student representative, vice president and president. Candidates who won their positions were excited, while others who were not so fortunate supported their peers and fellow competitors.

“I feel like it was a great experience and worked in the way we wanted it to work,” ASB junior class president and sophomore Jason Chen said.

“It forced candidates to make sure they were qualified as well as popular, and I really liked that I had to prove myself to the delegates that I was worth it.”