BREAKING NEWS: Bowman and Hysen Narrowly Edge Hayward and Zhang in Unofficial Tally

Johnny F. Bowman ’11 and Eric N. Hysen ’11 won the Undergraduate Presidential Elections Thursday night in the closest race in UC history, according to Election Commissioner Brad A. Seiler ’10.

The official vote tally has not yet been announced. But according to Seiler, Bowman and Hysen edged out George J.J. Hayward ’11 and Felix M. Zhang ’11 by only 46 votes.

The votes were tabulated earlier this afternoon by the seven-member UC Election Commission after voting closed at noon, Seiler said.

After the first vote tally, Bowman and Hysen trailed Hayward and Zhang by 31 votes, Seiler said. The outsider ticket of Robert G.B. Long ’11 and David R. Johnson ‘11 finished third.

But under UC rules, first-place votes for Long and Johnson were then transferred to the second-listed candidate on each ballot.

Bowman and Hysen surged ahead after this recount, ending up with 1,826 votes to Hayward and Zhang’s 1,781, Seiler said.

Bowman and Hysen’s campaign focused on pressing the administration to make budget cuts more transparent and finding immediate, low-cost ways to improve student life at Harvard, such as putting many student services online.

Michael Zhang ’12 won a concurrent special election for Lowell House UC representation. That election was held following the expulsion of former Lowell representative Kevin F. Burke Jr. ’10.