In an election where only 8 percent of the all University of Memphis students voted, Ricky Kirby of the Making a Difference Party was re-elected as Student Government Association president along with almost everyone from his party.
The final results showed that Kirby collected 1,118 votes, while his opponent Domenic Martini of the A.S.A.P. party collected 406 votes.
"I am so excited," Kirby said. "It's cool to think that 11 other parties have tried to get re-elected and mine is the first to be able to say they will have served two terms."
Kirby said he plans to use his second year in office to focus on increasing affordability and retention rates. He also wants to work on better parking and dining options.
Results were announced to the public at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 28. The results were set to be announced at 3 p.m., but, due to misunderstanding between the parties, was announced at the earlier time.
"I wasn't expecting that big of a margin," Kirby said, "It was nerve-wracking because so many other people have tried but haven't been able to be re-elected."
Kirby's vice president for the next year will be his running mate Prataj Ingram, who defeated A.S.A.P. candidate Jalen Griggs 1,041 votes to 455. Ingram takes the vice president's job from EuDarius Jones, who did not run for a second term.
Of the 37 senator positions, only two of them were not won by a member of his party. Martini's A.S.A.P. party only collected one at-large senate seat and the lone senate seat representing the nursing school.
Of the 19,884 students eligible to vote, only 1,610 people voted. Additionally, the number of voters was down two percent from what it was last year.
"I think a lot of people didn't vote because they thought a certain party was going to win because there wasn't a lot of campaigning going on from the other party," Kirby said. "When you have a party with under 15 people, it's hard for those 15 to mark a campaign with everything else they have to do."
One senator, Kanesha Johnson, was elected to represent the graduate school, and all it took for her to get the job was 26 votes.
Kirby said he plans to get more students to vote next year by getting the word out earlier and having larger campaigns.
"I'm excited to be a returning president because I know what is going on and know what I am doing," he said. "I can't wait to continue to make a difference."
Domenic Martini, the presidential candidate for the A.S.A.P. party, said this year was his last opportunity to be eligible for election and he's proud of the campaign the party ran.
"I am confident that Ricky and Prataj will do a great job with the program this year," Martini said. "I'm going to continue to support the SGA, be a part of the organization and make an impact on campus."
