The Unofficial Results of the CSA Winter 2026 Election are here!
Please note that these results contain all verified and valid votes in the count. These results will be made official at the Board Meeting on March 25, 2026.
How the Results Were Calculated:
For Executive positions (President, VP Internal, VP Academic, VP External), we utilized Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), also known as Instant Runoff Voting. In this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives over 50% of the first-place votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are reallocated to the next preferred candidate on those ballots. This process continues in rounds until one candidate achieves a majority of over 50% and is declared the winner.
For Director positions, where two seats were available for each college, we employed a Borda Count system. With Borda Count, voters rank candidates, and points are assigned based on those rankings. For example, in a race with four candidates, a first-place vote might receive 4 points, a second-place vote 3 points, and so on. The points for each candidate are tallied, and the two candidates with the highest total scores are elected.
Winter 2026 General Election Results: The overall voter turnout was 14.4%.
President: Quorum Met
Emilie Dudgeon: 1454 votes
Zein Talaba: 1075 votes
Emilie Dudgeon has been elected CSA President.
VP Internal: Quorum Met
Sydney Hooper: 1298 votes
Joshua Ivan Jacinto: 649 votes
Opeyemi Oloyede: 627 votes
Sydney Hooper has been elected Vice President Internal.
VP Academic: Quorum Met
Kennedy McGregor: 1499 votes
Abdullah Al-Jabji: 907 votes
Kennedy McGregor has been elected Vice President Academic.
VP External: Quorum Met
Ash Ames: 1928 votes
Ash Ames has been elected Vice President External.
College Directors:
College of Biological Sciences: 17%Turnout, Quorum Met
Zohair Pervez: 1559 points
Ahmed Khamis: 1232 points
Joshua Zaretsky: 1191 points
Zohair Pervez and Ahmed Khamis have been elected CBS Directors.
College of Engineering: 17% Turnout, Quorum Met
Areeb Zahir: 959 points
Michael Spurek: 559 points
Mohammed Al-Oda: 477 points
John Paul Al Khoury: 448 points
Areeb Zahir and Michael Spurek have been elected COE Directors.
College of Social & Applied Human Sciences: 13% Turnout, Quorum Met
Laiba Baig: 972 points
Muhammad Asif: 621 points
Laiba Baig and Muhammad Asif have been elected CSAHS Directors.
College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences: 16.7% Turnout, Quorum Met
Hamza Memon: 533 points
Mohamed Salih: 483 points
Aidan Mikhail: 414 points
Hamza Memon and Mohamed Salih have been elected CCMPS Directors.
Ontario Agricultural College: 17.4% Turnout, Quorum Met
Hannah Gregory: 555 points
Bronwyn Barber: 442 points
Hannah Gregory and Bronwyn Barber have been elected OAC Directors.
Lang School of Business and Economics: 10.3% Turnout, Quorum Met
Ayesha Tanzeel: 394 points
Ayesha Tanzeel has been elected Lang Director.
GBSA Referendum: Quorum NOT Met
The GBSA referendum required a quorum of 20% for the results to be valid. Since the voter turnout was 14.4%, the required quorum was not met.
Election Disqualifications Notice
As of March 13, 2026: Presidential candidate Zaid Khan, VP Academic candidate Ujala Batla, VP Internal candidate Muhammad Almas, and VP External candidates Husain Iqbal and Pawandeep Singh have each accumulated at least 100 demerit points due to infractions and have been disqualified from the Winter 2026 General Election in accordance with CSA policy.
Verified Quorum Update – Thursday, March 12, 2026 – 4:00pm
Overall voter turnout: The Winter 2026 General Election has a verified, total quorum of 13.6%. 10% of undergraduate students need to vote for the executive results to be valid. In order for the referendum results to be valid, 20% of undergraduate students need to vote.
College of Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences: The verified total quorum is 16.2%. 10% of undergraduate students need to vote for the director results to be valid.
College of Biological Sciences: The verified total quorum is 16.3%. 10% of undergraduate students need to vote for the director results to be valid.
Ontario Agricultural College: The verified total quorum is 16.9%. 10% of undergraduate students need to vote for the director results to be valid.
College of Engineering: The verified total quorum is 16.2%. 10% of undergraduate students need to vote for the director results to be valid.
College of Social & Applied Human Sciences: The verified total quorum is 12.3%. 10% of undergraduate students need to vote for the director results to be valid.
Lang School of Business and Economics: The verified total quorum is 9.3%. 10% of undergraduate students need to vote for the director results to be valid.
Preamble
Are you interested in advocating for students and contributing to the efforts of your student union? Your opportunity via the CSA Winter 2026 General Election is here! Starting Monday, February 2, the CSA will be hosting our general election to fill all Executive and Board of Directors positions for the coming academic year. Successful candidates will serve a term of May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027. Continue reading below to view the available positions, schedule of elections dates, contact information for the Elections Office team, and more! Be sure to follow @csa_elections on Instagram for all the latest news regarding the general election.
Unsure of what these positions entail? Check out our Positions and Duties page for more details on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee roles.
Voting is now extended for the CSA Winter 2026 General Election!
It’s time to cast your vote in the CSA Winter 2026 General Election! These candidates will represent YOU as an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph, so make sure you do your part in the democratic process by getting informed and casting your vote today. Check out the Candidate Bios Page for the official list of candidates and read the bios to learn more about the students running for the Board of Directors and Executive positions before you cast your vote. Voting is now extended until Friday, March 13, 2026 at 11:59pm. Visit our Voting Page to access the ballot and be automatically entered into our prize draw once you cast your vote!
Board of Directors and Executive Vacancies
The following positions are available for candidates in the CSA Winter 2026 General Election:
- One (1) President
- One (1) Vice-President Internal
- One (1) Vice-President Academic
- One (1) Vice-President External
- Two (2) College of Arts (COA) Representatives
- Two (2) College of Biological Sciences Representatives
- Two (2) College of Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences (CCMPS) Representatives
- Two (2) College of Engineering Representatives
- Two (2) College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS) Representatives
- Two (2) Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics Representatives
- Two (2) Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) Representatives
- Two (2) Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) Representatives
VOTING OPEN NOW – VOTE HERE!
Winter 2026 General Election Schedule
| General Information Sessions | January 30, 2026 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the CSA Board Room February 3, 2026 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the CSA Board Room |
| Nomination Period | Monday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 5:00pm |
| All-Candidate’s Meeting | Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 6pm Location: CSA Board Room, University Centre 2nd floor |
| Promotional Preparation Period | Thursday, February 12, to Friday, February 20, 2026 |
| Campaign Period | Monday, February 23, to Friday, February 27, 2026 |
| All-Candidate’s Forum | Friday, February 27, 2026 at 4pm Location: Instagram Live |
| Voting Period | Monday, March 2, to Friday, March 6, 2026 at 11:59pm |
| Voting Period Extension (if required) | Saturday, March 7, to Friday, March 13, 2026 at 11:59pm |
| Ratification of Candidates | Wednesday, March 25, 2026 |
Elections Office Contact and Hours
Chief Returning Officer (CRO) — Lauren Pyne (she / her)
- Available at [email protected]
- Winter 2026 Office Hours: Mondays from 1pm to 4:30pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1pm to 3:30pm, and Wednesdays from 9:30am to 11am
- Or by appointment
Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) — Amal Shaqo (she /her)
- Available at [email protected]
- Winter 2026 Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30am to 1:30pm, and Fridays from 12:30pm to 2:30pm
- Or by appointment
Candidate’s Forum
The All-Candidate’s Forum is a chance for undergraduate students to learn more about the candidates in the election and ask them questions about the key issues impacting students and their plans should they be elected. The All-Candidate’s Forum will be held this Friday, February 27, at 4pm, via Instagram Live!
Election Bylaws and Policies
In addition to being familiar with CSA’s policies and bylaws before participating in elections, it is important for candidates to review CSA election-related policies. See File attachments below.
Those interested in running for an Executive position should read Policy Appendix A – Executive Portfolios (see below) to help you understand the role. It is also strongly encouraged to contact a current Executive (or past member) and discuss the position responsibilities.
File attachments
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Policy Appendix A – Executive Portfolios | 326.06 KB |
| Appendix G – Electoral | 323.95 KB |
| Bylaw 2 – Electoral | 204.84 KB |