As Chapman Student Government Association’s (SGA) election season went into full swing, candidates Lexi Reekie, a junior philosophy, political science and law and the liberal arts triple major, and Rachel Berns, a sophomore health sciences major, battled head-to-head for the role of president. What would follow was nothing short of a campaigning frenzy —beginning with a debate hosted by The Panther and concluding with three days of voting from the student body.

Over 850 ballots later, SGA announced their new 2022-2023 president and vice president via a March 16 Instagram post on @chapmansga. 

“Congratulations to our 2022-2023 SGA President and Vice President-Elect, Lexi Reekie and Mac Francini,” the caption exclaims, with comments underneath congratulating the two students on their victory.

According to data collected by SGA Director of Elections Christian Grevin, a senior history and political science double major,  Reekie secured 464 votes — 54.91% of all votes — while Berns, her opponent, polled at 45.09% with 381 votes. Twelve individuals who voted in the election abstained from choosing a presidential candidate.

Former Interfraternity Council President Mac Francini, a junior accounting and business administration dual major, was elected vice president, despite never previously having been involved with SGA. Francini ran unopposed, so he polled at 100%; but 180 individuals abstained from voting — 15 times the amount of people who abstained from voting for president.

But it’s clear the vice president-elect is familiar with the duty of serving the student body, with his resume featuring nearly two years as a Student Engagement Lead and a year of being a Resident Adviser before that. 

Though Francini will train alongside Reekie for the remainder of the semester and ultimately work collaboratively with her over the course of the next year, he initially campaigned in conjunction with Berns as a package deal. Their publicity account on Instagram, @rachelandmacforsga, has since been removed.

The Panther will post a follow-up article sitting down with the new SGA president and vice president this week.