Ole Miss students will elect a new Associated Student Body vice president and president today. Barron Mayfield and Leah Davis advanced to a runoff in the presidential election, and Sarah Doty and Charlotte Shackelford will compete in the vice presidential runoff election after no candidate in either race received a majority of the votes on Tuesday night.
The two presidential hopefuls wrote short biographies explaining who they are and what they plan to accomplish if elected.
Davis, the current co-director for inclusion and cross-cultural engagement for ASB, has worked on the Elections Reform Task Force since its establishment last fall and hopes to make student mental health a priority by making treatment more accessible on campus.
Mayfield, the current president pro tempore of the ASB Senate, has advocated for more student representation across campus and on the state Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, and he said he wants to add international student representation to the Senate.
Davis and Mayfield were separated by a margin of 370 votes in Tuesday’s election.
The Daily Mississippian interviewed all 13 candidates running for executive office, including the two remaining vice presidential candidates. Read our profiles here to learn more about them before heading to the polls to vote.
Doty wants to focus on improving the everyday lives of students by focusing on issues in parking, housing and facilities on campus.
Shackelford said her main goal is to build the relationship between senators and their constituents, which she hopes will result in increased accessibility to ASB for students.
Doty and Shackelford were separated by a margin of 127 votes.
On March 25, the executive officer candidates participated in a debate hosted by representatives of student media. Candidates disagreed about student involvement, transparency and mental health.
Read our analysis of the debate here.
This is the first general election since the ASB Senate voted last April to lower the limits for candidates’ campaign budgets. The presidential candidates responded to the change.
Davis and Mayfield also explained their differing histories and gaps in student government experience over their past three years on campus.
Students can vote online through their myOleMiss accounts between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. today by opening the “Get Involved” tab and click on “Vote in Student Elections.”
