Students will return to the polls Thursday to finally decide who will be next year’s sophomore attendant.
Kimberly Brown and Christy Hunt, both running for sophomore attendant in the SGA spring elections, are facing off again nearly a month after the runoff elections resulted in a tie.
Thursday will mark the first time that FAMU will have to hold a runoff election to break a tie for a position.
The election was delayed because Brown had to appeal a decision to take her name off the ballot.
Brown was disqualified on March 3 after she amassed 41 points during campaigning for office. After her initial appeal was denied, one of her campaign workers admitted to sabotaging her campaign and the ruling was reversed. The SGA judicial branch heard the case after the runoff and granted Brown the chance to win the position.
“The appeal has been finished,” said Electoral Commissioner Michael Lipford, a senior business administration student from Cleveland. “She wasn’t held totally liable for everything due to the fact that her campaign was sabotaged.”
Lipford said he was given notice Friday that Brown was eligible to run in the election. The electoral commission decided Monday to hold Thursday’s runoff for the March 5 run-off election.
A decision on who the next SGA president and vice president still has not been made.
“Based on the judicial branch report given, the SGA presidential and vice presidential election is still pending,” said Ramon J. Alexander, a freshman senator from Tallahassee.
Students are finding out through word of mouth that Thursday’s election in the grand ballroom will actually take place.
“Nobody told us formally,” said Omari Murphy, an 18-year-old business administration student from New Orleans. “It’s been rumored and it was in the paper.”
Even with the late notice, Murphy expected a decent turnout at the polls.
“The other people that are not doing it are lazy, sorry people.”
Marlon A. Walker can be reached at MarlonAWalker@aol.com