Piper Plavins wins MSU 2025 presidential race

After a two-week campaign, Piper Plavins has been elected as the MSU President for the 2025-2026 academic year

Early Friday morning, Piper Plavins was announced as the next president of the McMaster Students Union for the 2025-2026 academic term.

Plavins was elected with a total of 4,860 votes. A minimum of 2,750 votes were required.

Approximately 22.2 per cent of the undergraduate student body voted in this year's election, or 5,783 students.

This is a 35.4 per cent increase in voter turnout from last year’s 16.4 per cent. This is in stark comparison to 2023’s turnout of 10.2 per cent, making this a 117.6 per cent jump in two years.

Olami Olalere was disqualified from the presidential race due to receiving severe fines as per MSU Elections.

"The Elections Committee has determined that the candidate has received 9 standard violations, 2 severe fines and $42 in poster violations, accumulating a fines amount that exceeds half of the spending limit, leading to an automatic disqualification (Rule 7.12)," stated MSU Elections in an Instagram post.

All candidates may appeal any fines to the MSU Elections committee. They may further appeal to the Electoral Appeal Board consisting of the MSU Speaker, the Secretary of the University Senate and a McMaster community member who does not sit on the Student Representative Assembly.

As such, results are technically not official until the appeal process has been concluded.

Plavins' campaign prioritized improving student life through enhanced advocacy, greater student involvement, expanded MSU services, increased awareness of campus resources, support for student clubs, more accessible classrooms, and initiatives like MSU Week, the Holiday Market expansion and a mentorship program for 2SLGBTQIA+ students. More about Plavins' platform can be read here, as well as the Silhouette's critique on the president-elect.

As for the referenda, the Food Accessibility Initiative has passed. Voter turn out was 13.1%.

The Homecoming and Large Events referendum failed, with voter turnout at 13.6%.

The Engineers Without Boarders referendum was invalidated by the Elections Committee and thus results were not released.

For more information, visit the MSU elections website and stay tuned for our first sit-down with the incoming President.

This is a developing story.