Still undecided

Races for Queen, Colonel and Miss Ole Miss go to runoff

LINDSEY ELLIS
DM Staff Writer

The field of 10 candidates has been narrowed down to six after yesterday's election for the positions of Homecoming Queen, Miss Ole Miss and Colonel Reb.

Run-off elections will be held Thursday between Annabeth Freeman and Sarah Beth Bailey for Homecoming Queen, Laura Payne and Heather Bryant for Miss Ole Miss and George Haymans and Micajah Sturdivant for Colonel Reb.

A total of 2,982, or 26 percent, of students voted in the Homecoming elections.

After a week of posting fliers, wearing stickers and campaigning at fraternity and sorority houses candidates and their supporters met on the Union steps for the official out come of the homecoming election.

The tense crowd waited for over an hour as the ASB held a meeting to review campaign violations. The assembly of students hushed as Paul Moore, ASB elections commissioner walked outside but quickly erupted into cheers as the results were announced.

The race for Homecoming Queen was between Freeman who received 1,159 votes, Bailey who received 882 votes and Abby Richards who received 865 votes.

"I am absolutely, positively overwhelmed and extremely honored," Freeman said. "I want to thank all the students who voted and encourage everyone to come vote on Thursday. I really want to commend everyone who ran; it was an honor to be nominated."

Bailey was equally overwhelmed by the results.

"I'm in shock," Bailey said. "The Lord has blessed me in many ways and this is one of his blessings."

Payne received 1,251 votes, Bryant received 1,133 votes and Tessa Hughes received 543 votes for the position of Miss Ole Miss.

"I'm excited," Payne said, "and all the candidates were incredible."

Bryant hopes to see an even greater turn out for the election on Thursday.

"I'm excited to have made it to the run-off, but the races were all really close so it is important that everyone votes Thursday," Bryant said.

The contest for Colonel Reb was between Haymans who received 984 votes, Sturdivant who received 853 votes, Don Ross who received 581 votes and Untray Orange who received 433 votes.

"Running for Colonel Reb has been one of the most humbling events of my life," Haymans said. "To have so much support behind me is an incredible feeling. It makes me proud to be an Ole Miss Rebel."

Sturdivant said he was grateful to those who campaigned for him.

"I appreciate what everyone has done," Sturdivant said. "For me the thing is it's odd to be campaigning for an honor; it's hard because it is not about a platform. I hate that people got cut who ran a clean campaign, but those people can feel good knowing that they ran an honorable campaign."

The five female and five male class favorites chosen were Hart Hazard, Kelley Jones, Courtney McCullough, Katie Strickland, Allison Walker, Wes Barnett, Justin Dill, Charles Marion, Trey Jones and Scott Walker.

Along with Homecoming representatives and class favorites the new ASB Constitution was also on the ballot for students to approve or decline.

Students voted in favor of adopting the new constitution in a 1402-198 vote.

The new constitution will go into effect as soon as it is published in the abstract of current laws, which should be sometime today said Casey O'Shea, attorney general of the ASB.