One vote secured a $6 per semester increase in undergraduate student fees, and Jennifer Onuska narrowly edged Lisa Marie Gomez to win the presidency, according to unofficial results from Wednesday's ASUNM election.
Amendment One, which raises student fees from $14 to $20 per semester received 781 affirmative votes and 390 against it, to give the amendment the 66 percent of the vote it needed to pass by the most narrow margin possible. It was the third time during the past two years that the Associated Students of UNM Senate sought student support for increasing fees.
The amendment allows for a funding increase for student groups. It also adjusts the student fees allocated to Student Publications Board, which oversees the production of the Daily Lobo, Conceptions Southwest and Best Student Essays, to 8.5 percent and retains amount of fees it now receives.
The Elections Commission reported that 1,472 students of 15,192 eligible undergraduates cast ballots in Wednesday's election.
Onuska, a Senergy candidate, won her presidential bid, but Sen. Heather Gabel, of the opposing Voice slate, secured the vice presidential seat. Onuska received 684 votes, while Gomez - a Voice slate candidate - finished with 605 votes. Gabel picked up 684 votes, while Senergy's vice presidential candidate Jena Marquez received 579.
"I am amazed and overly ecstatic," Onuska said. "I would like to thank Senergy and all of the voters. I'm looking forward to working with a wonderful group of people and I'm excited to be working for the students of UNM."
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Gomez said that she was proud of the effort she put into the election.
"I think I did my best and worked hard," Gomez said. "We campaigned until the last minute and I think that shows our character. I wish Jennifer the best of luck and if she needs anything. I will extend my hand to her."
Gabel echoed Onuska's excitement despite the split decision in the executive branch, adding that she thought that both slates ran clean campaigns, with slates playing smaller roles in the election's outcome.
"I think people voted for who they thought would do a good job," she said. "Jennifer and I have worked together in the past before, so I don't see any problems arising. I think we'll do what is best for the students"
Marquez wished Gabel and the new Senate the best of luck, adding that she was glad that Amendment One finally passed.
The Senergy slate won seven of the 10 Senate seats up for grabs. Sen. Tim Serna, of the Senergy slate, picked up the most votes among senators.
Other Senergy members elected to the Senate included Adrian "Tio" Vega with 615 votes, Jenny French with 569, Ashlynne Padilla with 599, Amanda Sims with 581, Sen. Travis Clark with 604 and Jonathon Maple with 546. The three winning Voice slate Senate candidates were Andrea Brigman with 596 votes, Michelle Heidbrink with 561 and Lorenzo Garcia with 638.
Serna that he was torn by the election results.
"It's definitely a bittersweet victory because the whole team didn't win," he said. "We functioned as a team and were looking to get every one on the team elected."
The vote count for the last Senate seats were fairly close, with James Gutierrez picking up 541 votes, Aaron Salas with 535, Sarah Ciccotello with 501, Sen. Jacqueline Farrington with 535, Andrew Steele with 511 and Eric Smith with 496 narrowly missing out.
Elections Commission Chairwoman Adela Ogden said the turn out went fairly well and that both slates ran clean campaigns.
"We had a couple of violations, mostly for chalking ,"she said. "We may see some results contested, but, all in all, it went fairly smooth."
