Voting Chaos Unleashed: UMSG Executive Election Faces Shocking Re-Vote—What’s at Stake?

The University of Maine Student Government (UMSG) has declared the recent election for the 2026 to 2027 Student Body President and Vice President invalid due to significant technical issues. Commissioner of Fair Elections Practices Zoe Stankevitz detailed that problems with the software service and inaccuracies from CampusGroups compromised the integrity of the election process. As a result, a remedial election is scheduled to take place at the Wade Center of the Memorial Union from 8 a.m. on March 10 to 5 p.m. on March 11, with in-person voting occurring on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Central to the controversy was the use of Qualtrics XM, the software employed for conducting the election survey. Stankevitz noted that Qualtrics had removed security features that previously ensured only undergraduate students could participate in voting. “The election was vulnerable to allowing non-undergraduate students to access the survey,” she stated. The Maine Campus has not verified which specific security features were eliminated. Compounding the issue, CampusGroups does not routinely delete user information from former undergraduate students, allowing graduate students to vote as well.

UMSG President Keegan Tripp emphasized the gravity of these shortcomings. “You can select undergraduate status, but it doesn’t remove previously undergraduate students,” he explained, adding that the changes in Qualtrics allowed grad students to partake in the voting. This method has been used successfully in past elections, making this incident particularly surprising.

Current Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine and Senator Hazel Sparks will run uncontested during this new voting period. Shelmerdine noted an additional irregularity when a single IP address generated multiple votes through a bot, although this was not the primary reason for the election's annulment, as existing security mechanisms flag such automated entries.

“I was initially pretty distraught between the security issue with graduate and non-students voting and then students that created a bot to vote for themselves every 11 seconds,” Shelmerdine shared. “However, now I’m fine as it didn’t affect too much.”

The core issue, however, remained that there was no way to differentiate between graduate and undergraduate votes, which Stankevitz deemed sufficient grounds to invalidate the results. In an effort to maintain transparency, the student body was promptly informed.

Tripp reiterated the importance of ensuring electoral integrity. “This is a good reminder that student government elections are real elections that have legal consequences,” he stated. As UMSG is required to report its positions to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the integrity of the election results is paramount.

Sparks also addressed the situation, indicating that using faulty results or skipping a new election could lead to significant legal ramifications. “It would also set an unprofessional precedent for UMSG and weaken the trust of those we work with,” she wrote in a response to the Maine Campus.

Despite the complications, both Tripp and Shelmerdine expressed optimism for the upcoming election process. The UMSG has decided to eliminate the use of Qualtrics in future elections to prevent similar issues and will ensure ample communication regarding new voting mechanisms before future elections.

Tripp, while acknowledging the inconvenience of a second vote, encourages students to participate. “There’s good information about platforms, and if nothing else, when you open that ballot, you’ll get to see who’s going to represent you for the next year,” he said. He underscored the importance of competitive elections as a way to engage with student government.

This election marks a significant moment for Sparks, as it is her first time appearing on the ballot. Reflecting on the unusual circumstances, she noted, “It definitely wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but I wasn’t that disappointed. I do have an outline for how I want my vice presidency to go.”

As UMSG navigates this complex situation, the focus remains on restoring faith in the electoral process. With the re-voting process underway this week, updates will continue to be provided as they develop.