On May 19, the student body voted in the 2026-2027 Student Union (SU) general election via a Google Form. The results were released days later and are as follows: 

Though the votes are in, Coordinator of Student Activities Jamie Baranoff said that turnout was not high. She said the 2026-27 SU elections received around 500 votes across all grades. “I wish that people would vote more, but for whatever reason they don’t,” she said. 

However, Ms. Baranoff said, “I would say the voter turnout has been a little bit better these past couple of years than it has been.”

Members of next year’s Student Union shared strategies and struggles while campaigning.

Junior Jordana Lo said, “[I want] to encourage people to vote by posting on multiple platforms and voting on social media. We are trying to make sure people have civil engagement and take part in our community.”

Sophomore Siddhini Singh said, “[Next time,] I would do more reels involving members of the school. Last year I had a lot of media with other people, and it would cause more people to view it if their friends were included.”

As they campaigned to maximize voter turnout, candidates that spoke to The Classic shared challenges they faced in sharing their platform. 

Freshman Nora Elsaway said, “As a freshman, I know I may not personally know every student yet, so I’ve tried to put myself out there,” she said. “Social media has helped a lot because it allows me to reach students outside of my own classes and friend groups.” 

Throughout the election process, many candidates utilized social media platforms such as Instagram to advocate for their campaigns, with some accounts reaching nearly 500 followers. 

Beyond getting students to the polls, candidates also faced the challenge of ensuring that students base their vote on policy and not personal ties. To combat voting based on friendships, the administration, along with the candidates, actively worked to maximize voter turnout and ensure that the results are a true reflection of the student body. 

Sophomore Siddhini Singh said that she based her campaign policies on “genuine change.”

“One of my main steps was finding a real issue within the school and coming up with a solution to fix it that is feasible within the SU position I desired,” said Siddhini. “Many people expect genuine change and results from the SU board, and I really tried to capture that idea and use my knowledge and experience to help that and promise to uphold what I aimed to do.”

Sophomore Gloria Chang said, “I think that in a way, elections can become a popularity contest, especially when students prioritize friendship over policy… while I’m trying to vote with a more unbiased perspective, I will admit that I’m probably more likely to vote for someone I know versus someone I don’t know personally.”

Freshman Iris Zhang, “I think it’s just natural for teenagers to vote for their friends, but I [also] see people who do vote based on how qualified a candidate is for a position and…not… [based on] personal relationships.”