SG midterm election results delayed due to technical issues

Almost one week has passed since voting closed for students, according to SG Supervisor of Elections Laura Shaw. ORACLE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM

Finalized results for the Student Government (SG) midterm elections were delayed due to a technical issue in the software used to record votes, according to SG Supervisor of Elections Laura Shaw.

The software, VoteNet, was not correctly logging students’ U numbers, Shaw said. Polls were expected to open at midnight Oct. 11, but the issue was not resolved until 11:30 a.m.

Voting was extended by the exact time lost due to the technical issues to ensure the required 48 hour window for voting was satisfied, according to Shaw. Unofficial results were expected to be released the morning of Oct. 13, but were instead released later that evening just after voting closed.

Shaw said results would have been finalized by Monday, but with the delay, official results were not released until Wednesday.

Five business days are allotted for results to be finalized after voting closes, according to Shaw. Last year’s SG midterm elections results were announced Oct. 14, the day after voting ended for students, according to a 2021 Oracle article.

On the ballot were seven Senate seats for the Tampa campus, along with three for St. Pete and one for Sarasota-Manatee, Shaw said. Four vacant spots are able to be filled for campus council at Tampa, as well as three for St. Pete and two for Sarasota-Manatee.

This story has been updated.