Two University of Texas students win election after running as a joke

AUSTIN, Texas — Two students have been elected as president and vice president of the school’s Student Government after running as a joke.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Rohit Mandalapu and Xavier Rotnofsky, demanded a Chili’s restaurant on campus, a penthouse at the top of the UT Tower and dressing Student Government officials in cellophane to promote transparency.

Every year, a handful of students run to mock the democracy of Student Government, but they usually do not get very many votes. The newly elected officials only received 27 percent of the votes during the general election, but they boosted their platform for the runoff election by using the dating apps Tinder and Grindr to spread their campaign message. Their campaign also trended on the social media app Yik Yak, an anonymous message board of sorts that allows people to share messages.

According to outgoing student body president Kori Rady, the two new student government officials have broken the mold by creating a platform that balances satire and real issues.

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20150323-2-texas-students-win-election-after-running-as-a-joke.ece