SUMMIT tri-executive candidates speak at a CUSG debate in the Center for Academic Success and Engagement Auditorium on Wednesday night. March 25, 2026. (Sagan Randall/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Boulder Student Government announced its preliminary spring legislative election results on Tuesday. About 15% of the CU student body voted for new tri-executives, four representative-at-large positions and a referendum to expand collective bargaining rights for CU employees.
After candidates campaigned from March 23 to April 3, the student body elected the “SUMMIT” ticket as tri-executives for the 2026-2027 school year. Karla Castillo, Jake Siemsen and Rowan Hillhouse, all who currently serve CUSG, comprise the ticket. Voters elected representative incumbents Bridget Lombillo and Charlie Murphy, along with newcomers Owen Andrews and Isabel Alvarado.
The preliminary election results come after the annual spring debate on March 25, where legislative candidates discussed their goals to serve the CU student body.
“The SUMMIT ticket feels privileged to have been elected as the 2026-2027 Tri-Executives. This outcome reflects the voices of over 5,000 students who participated in the CUSG Spring election, and we take that trust seriously,” the SUMMIT tri-executives wrote in a statement to the CU Independent. “We are committed to upholding the pillars of our administration– community, equity, and autonomy– and to doing so in partnership with CU student leaders, clubs, and organizations.”
The three newly elected tri-executives currently serve in the executive branch of student government; Castillo as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Hillhouse as Chief of staff and Siemsen as Director of Strategic Communications.
Voters also approved the “CU at the Table” referendum, created by United Campus Workers, with 96% voting “yes.” The referendum would allow most CU employees to form collective bargaining units and negotiate working conditions with the CU Regents.
CUSG used a ranked choice voting system to elect legislative candidates. Voters ranked the tri-executive tickets and representative candidates in order of preference. Ballots were counted in rounds where the candidate or ticket with the least number of votes was eliminated. Votes for eliminated candidates were distributed to the voter’s next preference.
A ticket needed more than half of the votes to be elected as tri-executives. Representative-at-large candidates were elected by earning 20% of votes or being within the last four candidates after elimination.
CUSG initially counted 5,544 votes, but it removed 211 due to eligibility, leaving a total of 5,333 votes. It removed votes by non-fee-paying students, along with duplicate votes, blank ballots and votes cast outside of the election period.
The spring election saw a substantial increase in votes compared to the fall representative-at-large election in November 2025. Only around 7% of CU students voted in the previous election.
View the spring 2026 preliminary election results here.
Contact CU Independent News Editor Avery Clifton at avery.clifton@colorado.edu
