Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the Board of Regents’ role in reacting to student poll results. The Board, nor the University of Minnesota, is compelled to take action on the polls.

In the University of Minnesota campus ballot elections results released on Wednesday afternoon, students voted in favor of suggesting the University divest from companies supporting Israel and also elected new Undergraduate Student Government (USG) leadership.

Students voted in favor of a question asking if the University should “sever ties with companies complicit in war crimes and human-rights violations, war-profiting companies that recruit students on campus, and study abroad programs in Israel,” according to the certified election results announced Wednesday.

Of the 5,512 votes cast for this question, approximately 74.8% of students voted “yes,” with about 15.7% voting “no” and about 9.5% abstaining, according to the certified election results. Approximately 13.3% percent of the full student body voted, according to a University spokesman.

“This is an amazing victory for UMN’s community and the Palestinian movement at large!” Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and Students for Climate Justice (SCJ) said in a joint statement. “This is just the beginning of our campaign and its foundation is built on the student body’s consensus. The road to divestment has started and not yet won.”

Wednesday’s results confirmed that Rahma Ali and Clara Jünemann will be USG’s next president and vice president for the 2024-25 academic year.

Ali and Jünemann will succeed Shashank Murali and Sara Davis as USG’s president and vice president.

“We’re excited to take on the challenges and responsibilities of these roles, and are committed to advocating on behalf of undergraduate students. When we decided to run together, we did so not motivated by titles and roles, but by our passion for promoting initiatives that benefit students and ensuring that students feel represented,” Ali and Jünemann said in a statement.

In other races, Cal Mergendahl will be the new Council of Graduate Students (COGS) president, while nobody qualified to be COGS vice president due to no candidates being on the ballot. Mergendahl is a former columnist for the Minnesota Daily.

Jacob Bourgault and Flora Yang will be the new Professional Student Government (PSG) president and vice president, according to the certified election results. Yang previously served as USG president during the 2022-23 academic year.

Of the two poll questions presented by USG, the first asked if students wanted a commitment from President-Designate Rebecca Cunningham to prioritize countering the issue of food insecurity on campus, including strategizing to introduce a break-even grocery store. Approximately 90% of students voted “yes,” while roughly 3% voted “no” and about 7% abstained.

The second USG question appeared only on undergraduate ballots and asked if students supported a $1.18 increase in student services fees per student for USG to increase student group funding and support student advocacy. Approximately 60% of students voted “yes,” with about 29% voting “no” and roughly 11% abstaining. 

Newly elected USG, COGS and PSG leadership will begin their terms on July 1. The University does not typically take administrative or governance action in response to these polls, according to a University spokesman.

This article has been updated.