Students passed the proposed SC constitution, with 148 votes in favor, 40 against and six abstaining, in a special election yesterday in Mary Graydon Center.
Some members of the General Assembly thought the document won students' approval because they support change in the SC.
"I think that students realize that there is the need for a new constitution. ... Change is necessary, and I think that's what students want to see," said Ben Murray, chairman of the Committee on Government Operations, responsible for writing the new constitution.
Richard Bradbury, speaker of the GA, agreed.
"I think people are starting to realize now that the SC has changed ... and they want to give us a chance," he said.
Board of Elections Chairman Hye-Jin Lee said she was satisfied with voter turnout, but said it could have been increased with better publicity.
"Considering it was a one-day [election], the turnout was pretty good," Lee said, comparing the election with the one last fall, which drew more than 550 voters over three days.
Student apathy toward campus politics also contributed to the turnout, Lee said.
"Some students are not entirely concerned with what goes on in the GA too much," she said. "I'd like to encourage more people to vote in the spring."
Ian Sterne, a member of the GA who voted against the constitution in the GA and in the election yesterday, said he thinks that the vote doesn't represent the view of off-campus students.
"I still feel that the off-campus students are getting a raw deal," Sterne said.
He said that off-campus students didn't know about the vote and said the board should have done more to publicize it.
Some students said they voted because members of the GA asked them to.
John Kent, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he didn't know much about the constitution, but his friend in the GA asked him to vote in favor of the new document. "I just took his advice," Kent said.
Other students felt that voting at every student's responsibility.
"We're just doing our duty," said Alex Platkin, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs.
Lee and former board chairman Marc Malon ran the election. They handed students copies of the proposed and current constitutions and offered to answer questions.
"There's some basic changes to the structure," Malon explained to voters. "I encourage you to look through both of the documents."
The new constitution will change the name of the SC to Student Government and the GA to Undergraduate Senate. The composition of the US will include five senators from each class, four at-large, two from the College of Arts and Sciences and one from each of the other schools.
SC President Polson Kanneth said that he's satisfied with the result of the vote.
"I'm really happy about it. I'm glad that ... students got this constitution"
