The 63rd Senate of the Associated Students of New Mexico State University is set to experience changes in membership in the spring semester as new and reoccurring members were voted in during election week from October 21 to 25. 

 A total of 2,068 students voted in the Fall 2019 elections, with students from the College of Arts and Sciences comprising of a majority of the votes.  

 According to the most recent CENSUS data enrollment by the Office of Institutional Analysis, NMSU’s main campus has a total of 12,980 students: 10,543 undergraduate students and 2,437 graduate students. 

 Neal Bitsie, the Chief Elections Officer, said that although they did not break the record set last fall, voter turnout for the Fall 2019 elections was higher than the average turnout for the past three years.  

 Bitsie also commented on ASNMSU being able to engage more demographically with the university than ever before.  

 “This year, we saw an equal amount of participation at polling stations compared to previous years when stations like Gerald Thomas saw little to no traffic and stations like Corbett receiving the majority of traffic,” Bitsie said. 

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ASNMSU holds senate elections twice per academic year, with one taking place during the fall semester and the other in the spring. 

 The College of Arts and Sciences had the most positions available alongside the most candidates running. Of the seven candidates, five had been serving or had previously served as ASNMSU senators.  

 Four of the five elected senators were running for a second or third term. Newcomer and current ASNMSU roadrunner Cam Powers was the only candidate running for the first time, earning the second highest number of votes.  

 Other than the College of Arts and Sciences, every candidate from one of the other five colleges ran unopposed. 

 The Graduate College and the College of Engineering received the second and third highest amount of student voters, with 572 votes and 534 votes respectively.  

 The College of Business, the College of Health and Social Services, and the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences each had one seat available.  

 Of the three, only the College of Health and Social Services elected a returning senator. Both the College of Business and the College of ACES selected new candidates for the open seat. 

 The College of Education and the College of Engineering each had two seats open, with the latter being filled by reoccurring senators. The College of Education voted in current senator Emily Beker and former Vice Presidential candidate Salma Lopez for their available positions. 

 Beker claimed that she is thrilled to be taking on her third term as a senator for the College of Education and to be working with Lopez. 

 “Running for the second seat in the College of Education was Salma Lopez. She is extremely hardworking and passionate about advocating for the students and I can’t wait to be working alongside her again,” Beker said. 

 Beker also discussed her desire to encourage and push for transparency between ASNMSU and the students.  

 “Any good governing body knows how to effectively and honestly communicate with people. I want students to recognize that ASNMSU stands alongside all students by aiming to serve them and enhance the college experience,” Beker said.