Only 803 undergraduates decided to vote in SA elections this year, and I understand why. It’s hard to grow attached enough to candidacies in a virtual setting without choosing to engage in their platforms. However, out of those 803 votes, one thing I wish could have been tracked is the idea of “joke votes,” or votes cast for candidates for a humorous reason. How many people chose to vote not for the platform, but for the meme? Personally, I know I’m one of them — instead of choosing either of the candidates on the virtual ballot, I wrote in the name of someone I thought was worth my vote: Megan Browne.
Megan, while initially an unlikely candidate as an avid SA-unenthusiast, rose to take on the challenge of snagging the presidency on a whim. However, their platform spoke to me in a way that the Kazmi/Haque and Bothe/Sussman tickets didn’t. Maybe it was their ability to treat SA in a lighthearted manner (their platform literally noted that SA is a joke), or maybe it was my knowledge of their background of advocating for causes that are important to me, like the cancellation of Lil Nosey. Whatever it was, I was compelled to throw my vote away into the Megan Browne Void.
Megan’s Unofficial Ticket:
Experience
- President/VP of the D’Lions
- President of Hall Council for the Hill
- Vice President of Lenape Middle School
- Being hilarious (see articles here and here)
Their proposals include: Bring back partying on the quad. Force frats to have a full bar menu and pizza. Keep Starbucks Grubhub open all day. Reopen OptiKale and Peet’s Coffee.
When Megan didn’t win the election, I felt something I thought I wouldn’t be able to until I became a disgruntled parent: not sad, just disappointed. However, to bring further light to their short-lived run, I decided to interview them about the process of establishing a platform and running for SA.
What was the thought process behind running for SA? How did it come about?
Honestly, my resume was looking a little dry. I’m known for talking a lot of shit about SA, but when the opportunity for clout/power comes about…
What made you a candidate worth voting for (in your opinion)?
I think that my lack of attachment to the administration really made me a great candidate. Obviously this year there’s been a lot of demand for changes to SA, from SA itself. The only person who could do that is someone from the outside, and I was the perfect candidate.
How did you choose to advertise your ticket?
Obviously, I went nontraditional with the write-in route. But I tried to take the quiz that you needed to complete to formally enroll in the race, and I didn’t know any of the answers. I did, however, take the typical SA route in that I simply took the 30 seconds to put “Vote for Megan Browne” over a picture of me on Canva. Going a step further, I also chose to release a pretty extensive platform (if I do say so myself) on my Instagram, which was further endorsed by my friends on Instagram after some mild amounts of begging and pleading (but it’s not a popularity contest). I was also the first SA candidate in history to get an interview with Vogue.
Who did you think was your biggest competition in the election and why?
If anything, it was the fact that the administration refused to take me seriously. I was never invited to the debates; even CT didn’t do a profile on me. This lack of connection to the elite allowed me to understand the typical student’s needs, and connect with them. I was a president for the people, #draintheswamp.
What is the thing you most wanted to change about SA?
Honestly, I think that SA’s biggest issue is that it doesn’t put enough pressure on administration even though they have the platform to do it. They talk a lot about how the administration doesn’t listen to them or kinda pushes them off, but they have the platform to let students know and have their voices heard. They should not be on the side of admin, but ultimately annoy them as much as possible. They even refused to put a write-in section for the vote until about an hour into the elections…
What are your plans now post-election?
Not super sure, might release an EP. I hear that’s what people are doing now.
