Hillary Kletscher, 2014-15 president of the Government of the Student Body, looks forward to starting a new chapter in GSB.

“Our campaign went really well and we had a lot of fun,” Kletscher said. “[Mike Hoefer, 2014-15 GSB vice president, and I] spent time with a lot of different student organizations and made a lot of new relationships.”

Kletscher thanked the student body for supporting her with 69 percent of the voter turnout.

“I am honored to be able to represent [students] and work for [students] over the next year,” Kletscher said.

Kletscher and Hoefer have have been working on their action plan for next year, as well.

“One of the first big things in our action plan is to have complete steps in all of our project plans that we will and have been working on,” Kletscher said.

Kletscher also said another step in her process of becoming the next GSB president is to develop new relationships and build on old relationships with faculty members and students.

Spencer Hughes, 2013-14 GSB president, said he was glad to see the final days of the campaign focus on the candidates that were running with purpose, because he thought they deserved that spotlight.

“I am very happy for Hillary and Mike, whom I have worked closely with for a long time,” Hughes said. “I know that they will do an excellent job with their future roles.”

Hughes said the next month will be filled heavily with transition meetings.

“Hillary, Mike and I will be spending a lot of time making sure that they can hit the ground running as soon as they take office,” Hughes said.

Hughes also said the process will be much easier, given the fact that Kletscher is currently serving as GSB vice president.

“She already knows most of what to expect, so I can really focus on specific presidential items for her to learn,” Hughes said.

Hughes said this year has been extraordinarily successful for GSB, too.

“We accomplished more in one year than most could have imagined,” Hughes said. “I’m very proud of that fact and very grateful to the students of this university for believing in me and trusting me with the leadership of GSB this past year.”

Hughes will be graduating in May with degrees in speech communication and political science. He plans to attend law school beginning next fall.

“While I don’t yet know where that [law school] will be, I do know that this experience in GSB and this university as a whole has me well prepared for that next adventure,” Hughes said.

Hughes also made a point to improve this year’s voter turnout. He worked with the election commission and public relations and outreach staff to accomplish a 3,078 voter turnout.

“I have been very clear the past year that our turnout was pathetically low over the past couple years,” Hughes said. “The voter turnout this year was 10.03 percent, which is a significant improvement.”

Based on research done by GSB with other schools, 14 percent would be a number Hughes would have liked to see.

Hughes also said that while the university has a long way to go to reach what he would consider a decent voter turnout for a school like Iowa State, the university is moving in the right direction.

“I am confident that our outreach to students will continue to improve and the voter participation numbers will follow,” Hughes said.