Ben Dombrowski and running mate Allie Bitz were elected as Marquette University Student Government president and executive vice president, respectively, with 61 percent of the vote.
“It feels unreal,” Bitz said. “I kept trying to tell myself this week to not get my hopes up, because I didn’t want to be shattered, but when we heard our names I almost didn’t know how to react.”
The pair received nearly double the votes of incumbent MUSG President Adam Kouhel and running mate Reba Streightiff. The team was penalized five percent of the vote for violating campaign rules, finishing with 28 percent of the vote.
“It’s overwhelming,” Dombrowski, former communications vice president for MUSG, said. “More than anything it’s just a sense of relief. It’s very exciting.”
Both tickets accused each other of violating campaign rules.
“There are rules to the elections committee and how you are suppose to campaign,” Dombrowski said. “We and other people called them out on it.”
Kouhel and Streightiff were charged with three different campaign violations involving mass distribution of campaign material in apartments on Kilbourn Avenue and in the Raynor Memorial Libraries. The ticket was found guilty and received a five percentage point reduction of their votes.
Former president Adam Kouhel said he respected the election results and wishes the best for everyone in MUSG in the future.
“It has been a privilege and honor to work on behalf of the undergraduate students at Marquette and I will continue to work on behalf of the Marquette community in new capacities. The alleged violations have already been addressed by the MUSG elections committee and settled as it relates to the MUSG election rules,” Kouhel said in a statement Monday evening.
Kouhel and Streightiff were not at the press conference announcing the winners of the election in the AMU Friday, March 31.
Dombrowski and Bitz were inaugurated Monday. Kouhel was not present.
“Right away we have already got pulled aside and it’s like, ‘Alright, this is what we got to do,'” Dombrowksi said. “I’m ready to get started.”
Kouhel declined to comment further at this time.
Student turnout was 23 percent, lower than previous years.
