Record Number of Ballots Cast During Penn State Board of Trustees Election

There are 86 candidates running for three hotly-contested positions on the ballot for the Board of Trustees.

As of Sunday morning, a record 29,202 votes had been cast by alumni – 17,568 more than last year’s election, according to Penn State officials.

Voting started on April 10 and runs through 9 a.m. on Thursday. The winners will be announced on Friday at the Board of Trustees meeting.

Those elected will serve three-year terms, starting July 1.

The boom in candidates vying for seats as well as concerned voters can be attributed to the public outrage and subsequent demand for change after the current board fired former football coach Joe Paterno and president Graham Spanier on Nov. 9 in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.

Penn State announced that an independent audit of the election will be conducted as well, which was prompted by the university’s initiative, as well as requests from some candidates.

Related coverage: 

• Penn State Planning Independent Audit of Board of Trustees Election (April 17)
• Penn State Board of Trustees Election: Voting Begins as 86 Candidates Vie for Three Seats (April 10)