EVP ELECTION RESULTS
Third-year political science and Asian American Studies student
Evan Okamura won the election for External Vice
President of the Undergraduate Students Association Council by a
landslide. Results were announced Friday afternoon. TOTAL VOTES:
2,893 Evan Okamura 2,136
73.8% Susan M. Sheybani 757 26.2%
By Scott B. Wong
Daily Bruin Reporter
Evan Okamura was named external vice president of the
Undergraduate Students Association Council on Friday, beating out
Susan M. Sheybani by nearly a 50 percent margin in the online
special election.
The 24-hour emergency election, held from noon Thursday until
noon Friday, produced 2,893 online votes using the my.UCLA Web
site, a 50 percent increase in voter turnout from past special
elections, according to Election Board officials.
Okamura, who is the current EVP chief of staff, took home 73.8
percent of the votes, while Sheybani, a fifth-year political
science transfer student, received only 26.2 percent of the
votes.
Having worked in the EVP office for two years, Okamura, a
third-year political science and Asian American studies student,
said his experience will allow him an easier transition into
office.
“I’m really excited and looking forward to a smooth
transition,” he said. “It will be like nothing has
changed.”
Sheybani, who was not present when the E-Board announced the
results on the steps of Kerckhoff Hall because she was at her
sorority’s initiation ceremony, said she would like to work
with Okamura.
“I would like to work in the EVP office,” she said.
“I’ve always held an interest in the office. Hopefully
we can advocate student issues beyond the repeal of SP-1 and
SP-2.”
SP-1 and SP-2 are policies set by the UC Regents in 1995 that
ended the use of race and gender in admissions and hiring
practices.
Okamura will replace former EVP Portia Pedro, who was removed
from office early last month after failing to prove USAC academic
eligibility requirements in time. He called his predecessor a
partner.
“She definitely will still be on staff,” Okamura
said. “She’s going to be one of our biggest
supporters.”
Prior to the election, Pedro regained her eligibility and could
have ran for EVP again. But she decided not to run due to negative
press about her leading up to the election, she said.
“It’s better for the person running to have a clean
slate,” she said.
On Friday, Pedro was out in full support of Okamura as the
E-Board chair announced the results.
“He knows the inside workings of the office,” Pedro
said. “Nobody can run the office that hasn’t been on
staff.”
E-Board Chair Alex Kaplan said he was pleased by the voter
turnout.
“We’re impressed by the online election
results,” he said. “It was definitely a
success.”
But Kaplan cited two obstacles that may have kept students from
voting in UCLA’s first online election.
Students may not have known how the online election worked,
Kaplan said. Also, because the election took place late in the
quarter, finals and papers may have resulted in voter apathy, he
said.
At this stage, the E-Board plans to work with administrators of
my.UCLA regarding online voter statistics, Kaplan said.
“I would like to examine the times that people
voted,” he said.
Future online elections will probably not take place over a
24-hour period, according to Kaplan. If the E-Board decides to
repeat the online election process, it would most likely take place
over two days, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., like traditional
elections.
Although he thought the online voting worked well for this
special election, Okamura said he would not recommend it for
traditional elections.
“Polling is more fair and regulated,” he said.
E-Board officials will certify special election results and the
EVP-elect will take the oath of office during the USAC meeting
Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Kerckhoff Hall 417.