Altman ’11, Yaroshefsky ’12 head to runoff

Yaroshefsky took 44 percent of the vote while Altman came in a close second with 40 percent. Lindeman finished in a distant third with 16 percent of the vote.

“The election has definitely been rough on me, but I knew what I was getting into when I decided to run. Although campaigning is my least favorite part of USG, it’s worth it if it means I can do a job I love,” Altman said in an e-mail to The Daily Princetonian. “I know no one will agree with every single goal I have, but I hope people recognize that I will listen to students and improve life at Princeton to the best of my abilities.”

Yaroshefsky said he was “extremely thankful” to everyone who has supported him thus far.

“I am extremely thankful to everyone who has supported me to this point, and I hope that those whose confidence I have yet to earn will consider me as the candidate who offers fresh enthusiasm, a more meaningful history of contributions, and the most potential to make next year’s USG successful and responsive,” he said in an e-mail.

Sam Dorison ’11 defeated Alex Pretko ’12 in the race for USG vice president, capturing 73 percent of the vote to Pretko’s 27 percent.

In the race for USG campus and community affairs chair, Steven Rosen ’13 and Caitlin Downey ’13 also move on to a runoff. Rosen took 44 percent of the vote to Downey’s 39 percent, while Jacob Reses ’13 came in third with 17 percent of the vote.

The Class of 2013 elected Andrew Blumenfeld and Catherine Ettman as its two senators in a 12-person race.

The student body also passed a referendum calling for the USG to make a formal recommendation to Dining Services to replace non-Fair Trade bananas with Fair Trade bananas at all retail locations. The referendum passed with the support of 67 percent of voters.

This election cycle has not been uneventful. Altman received 15 campaign penalty points last week for online campaign infringements, and he has been at the center of a controversy involving a campaign memo obtained last week by the ‘Prince.’

“My online campaign infringements came from friends forgetting the disclaimer in their support emails, so I hope people are able to look past it,” Altman said. “I think the elections rules are a bit strict, but I understand that the rule was in place and that I’m responsible for any missteps.”

Yaroshefsky echoed Altman’s sentiments.

“The points [Altman] and I were assigned stemmed from mistakes and miscommunications beyond our control and demonstrate that election rules should be more forgiving of candidates who act in good faith,” he said.

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With USG elections generating considerable controversy in recent years, Yaroshefsky praised the process as the “smoothest election the USG has seen in quite a while,” even though he also had been assigned 20 penalty points for campaign violations.

Lindeman, however, criticized this year’s elections process.

“In all honesty I think the election has been horribly run,” he said in an e-mail. “After [Yaroshefsky’s] deliberate breaking of the rules, he should have been removed from the race. I think they were afraid to remove their poster boy.”

“I am putting all my support behind Jack Altman. Of the two candidates, he seems much more in touch with the students’ desires,” he added.

Lindeman also explained that he thought the candidates should sign the pledge stating that they will not ask University administrators for letters of recommendation. The student body approved the pledge in a referendum last spring.

“Jack Altman has expressed his displeasure in signing it, yet he noted that he feels the USG president should carry out the wishes of the students,” Lindeman said. “[Yaroshefsky] refuses to sign it. He has made it clear he does not care about what the students want.”

Yaroshefsky said he “understood Lindeman’s frustration,” but added that he was “disappointed that [Lindeman] would make false accusations.”

Lindeman added that he accomplished his goal in running for USG president — to “raise awareness about students’ feelings for softer tissue paper” — despite being disappointed with the election results.

Dorison, the USG vice president-elect, said he wanted to stay neutral and avoid publicly supporting any presidential candidate because he felt it was important for the student body to make that decision on its own. He originally ran on a ticket with Altman.