Students Begin Campaigns for Student Government First-Year Representative

Student Government first-year representative campaigns began last week, and 17 students across four colleges will be on the ballot. Elections will take place on Wednesday, and results will be announced Sept. 28.

Online voting opens at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and closes at 5 p.m. that same day. All first-year students are eligible to vote. Winners will be announced Monday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. in the WCP Auditorium.

All freshmen and undergraduate transfer students are eligible to run for first-year representative. The two candidates with the most votes will be elected to join the larger SG assembly, where they can join committees and vote on bills on behalf of their first-year constituents. 

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According to the first-year representative elections website, “It’s a chance to get involved early — run for office, campaign for a candidate, or cast your vote — and start making your mark on the UT Austin community.”

Candidates are not allowed to damage University property or remove signage endorsing other candidates. They cannot spend more than $250 and must submit two financial disclosures to ensure financial transparency. If they fail to submit either of the financial disclosures by the posted deadlines, they may be disqualified.

All candidates were required to attend a seminar on Sept. 14 to learn more about financial disclosures, campaigning rules and complaint filing. 

Attendees heard from last year’s first-year representatives Ford Myers and Tanishka Chawla about their campaign strategies. SG President Kiera Dixon and Vice President Jaden Watt also spoke to the candidates and offered advice. 

“All of you are doing this for a reason, you have a ‘why,’ so just remember that throughout this process,” Dixon said. “There’s going to be days when you’re probably tired, and you’re embarrassed … but just remember why you want to do this.” 

Dixon and Watt said candidates should be proud to participate in the elections, which they hoped to emphasize more this year to decrease student apathy with SG.

“Putting yourself out there … is an extraordinarily difficult thing to do, so kudos to you all, ” Watt said. “There will be ups. There will be downs. Just keep going. Just keep pushing through.”

19 students submitted candidate statements, highlighting campaign focuses such as making campus “feel like home,” improving safety on West Campus and advocating for the first-year population. Some students also cited the importance of affordability, accessibility and Big Ticket reform.

Candidates have used different methods to promote their campaigns, including Instagram reels, GroupMe chats and Google Forms. 

Six of the candidates — Sydney Bowen, Kyra Kirkpatrick, Henry Lanier, Johan Padayatti, Patrick Diaz and Diego Corona — did not submit financial disclosures and may be disqualified. 

Four students — Tiffany Chan, Aarnav Bansal, Averi Harris and Caleb Kirkpatrick — submitted financial disclosures but did not submit candidate statements. Their policies are not listed on the first-year representative elections website, but they will be eligible for election.

The candidates include 12 freshmen, two sophomores and three juniors. Most candidates are liberal arts students, with eight government majors running for first-year representative. Four candidates are coming from McCombs School of Business. One student is majoring in radio-television-film in the Moody College of Communication and one student is studying public affairs at the LBJ School.