Westerhouse wins

The votes are in, and Jesse Westerhouse is Auburn's next SGA president.

"I want to thank the Lord above all else," Westerhouse said shortly after receiving the news.

SGA reported receiving 8,800 total votes, but only 7,646 votes were cast in the presidential election. Turnout for the election was approximately 34 percent, roughly the same as last year.

At Monday's debate, Westerhouse said his qualifications for SGA president come down to two things: his experience and his passion.

"My passion is to serve each and every one of you," Westerhouse said.

He faced a small amount of criticism from his opponents, especially Drake Pooley, during the debate.

"If you want a goofy and kind-hearted man who's in a fraternity, vote for Jesse Westerhouse tomorrow," Pooley said.

He was also the only presidential candidate to receive violation reports, though he was found not guilty of all three.

One violation, reported by opponent Adam Brasher, alleged Westerhouse's "W" logo violated section 709.1.7.1 of the Code of Laws, which states, "No candidate shall model a campaign design off of a trademarked or copyrighted design or logo held by a public or private company or organization regardless of the campaign receiving permission."

Brasher claimed the design and copyright for the design is held by Spalding Group, a Republican design firm. The elections council ruled 5-1 that the design was "sufficiently original."

Westerhouse said his team did extensive research and did not find a copyright. He also changed the font to ensure it wasn't an exact copy of George W. Bush's famous logo. 

"When it was approved by the elections twice, we figured we were good to go," Westerhouse said. "Tons of credit to my campaign manager, Hunter Gibson, for all the research and preparation he did to ensure we ran a good, clean campaign."

All other violations were unanimously dismissed.

Despite the accusations, SGA reported Westerhouse received 55 percent of the presidential vote. Pooley came in second with 37 percent, and Brasher finished last with 8 percent.

Pooley said Westerhouse is "a great guy and a great friend," and he was glad the students' voices were heard.

Brasher was disappointed with his loss, but said students voted and "they put the person in that they wanted, so I'm not going to say anything against that."

Westerhouse was nervous before the announcement, but he knew he and his team did the best they could during campaign week.

"My stomach dropped when she said 'SGA president' and it came back when she said my name," Westerhouse said. "I was feeling good going into it because everything was executed really well."

Westerhouse said he plans to meet with Brandon Honeywell and James Beauchaine, the newly announced vice president and treasurer, to discuss their goals for the coming year.

He hasn't decided what he will try to accomplish first, but his his overall goal for the year is accessibility.

"I want to connect with the student body," Westerhouse said. "I want to make sure SGA is available and accessible the entire year. I want them to know we're fighting for students and working for students. That's going to be something that's ongoing throughout the year. That's going to be an ongoing goal throughout the year."

Westerhouse will officially take office on Feb. 22.

Walker Byrd, Westerhouse's close friend and outgoing SGA president, gave him some presidential advice.

"He told me to soak it all in," Westerhouse said. "Appreciate the people and this time. He said it'll fly by really quickly. He said to process this and to realize how lucky I am to be in this role."