Correction: A previous version of this article stated that there were 1,172 total votes for the Elon Board of Aldermen election. That is incorrect. Elon News Network regrets this error.
Running unopposed, Senior Pastor Randy Orwig and Associate Director of Corporate and Employer Relations for Elon’s School of Communications Stephanie Bourland, were able to campaign and work together before the elections.
“One of the things that Steph and when we found out we were running unopposed is we had a chance to meet and talk. And so I think we're excited about working together,” Orwig said. “I think that there's a sense that we feel that there's a new kind of a new day for Elon, and not that they, like a small town, can do really big things. But there's some important things I think that we can work on.”
With five out of five precincts reported in, there were 623 votes for Bourland, 522 for Orwig and 27 write-in ballots on election day. There were 72 absentee one-stop votes, which is both registering to vote and voting when you arrive. Absentee by-mail votes totaled 39 for the election.
Bourland is grateful for the voter turnout in a municipal election, but would like to see more Elon students getting involved in elections and voting.
“As somebody that works at the university, I would love to see more Elon students come out because this is their town for four years,” Bourland said. “ I would love in elections going forward for them to feel a part of this town and know that they have a say in what's going on where they live, because this is where they're living.”