Caroline Marcus has been elected the Student Government Association student body president for the 2026-27 school year. Anna Beth Thompson has been elected the SGA student body vice president for the 2026-27 school year. Cade Simmons, who ran unopposed, will take the position of speaker of the senate next year.

Following a frantic week of rallying support, campaigning and even a debate, these individuals are ready to step into the role as the leading voices for students at UT. This election marked the second-largest turnout in SGA history, with 7,254 voters.

Student body president

Marcus is a third-year public administration and economics major. Her campaign, dubbed “Move Forward with Marcus,” emphasized four main pillars within her potential policies: momentum, openness, volunteerism and empowerment. Marcus won with 4,111 votes, 57.39% of votes cast.

For the past year, Marcus served in the Darwin administration as chief of staff. Looking ahead to her own administration, Marcus will lean on her experience to assist her as she navigates through her new leadership position. 

“I am just so excited to serve the student body and give it my all,” Marcus said.

Student body vice president

Current Executive Secretary Thompson is assuming a new role of student body vice president. Throughout her campaign, Thompson has pushed to strengthen the connection between SGA and the student body. In particular, she hopes to increase student engagement on social media. On the more internal side, Thompson hopes to refine operational effectiveness of student government. Thompson won with 4,414 votes, with 63.8% of votes cast.

“This is an honor,” Thompson said. “ … It is an exhausting process, but it is so rewarding because we got to tell so many students about SGA and the great work SGA does.”

Speaker of the senate

Simmons, who ran unopposed, will take on the position of speaker of the senate. He currently serves as the chief lobbyist for the undergraduate student senate and will continue to work alongside senators to draft legislation and connect with constituents.