Results from Associated Students of Madison’s fall elections were announced Thursday, after one quarter of the freshman class cast their votes earlier this week.

The four winners beat out 13 other candidates to secure seats on the student governing body.

August McGinnity-Wake, one of the recently-elected representatives, said he knew he wanted to run for office after having conversations with friends about how to improve campus. He said working on his campaign allowed him to bring those ideas to life.

“It feels good to have won, all my hard work has paid off and it’s very rewarding,” McGinnity-Wake said.

He said he is eager to work to improve sustainability and safety on campus. He also plans to explore adding solar panels to residence halls and extending the hours that Safewalk services operate.

Working on a campaign gave him a firsthand look at how to run in an election, he said.

“It was really cool to be involved in an election where I was campaigning for myself,” he said.

Making students’ voices heard and having the opportunity to advance progressive values for the campus are both a priority, he said.

Ariela Rivkin, another one of the recently-elected representatives, said she knew she wanted to run for office after recognizing three main issues.

The cost of textbooks, wireless connectivity around campus and safety were all issues that prompted her to run, she said.

“It feels amazing and empowering to have won the election, even though it was stressful and all about person-to-person contact while campaigning,” Rivkin said.

Connecting students with ASM and keeping them updated with important issues on campus is another priority for Rivkin, she said.

Rivkin said taking initiative after recognizing the problems will help to make sure they are resolved.

“Why not step up and fix the problem? I can’t keep complaining about it if I don’t step up and take initiative,” she said.

In the election, Rivkin received a total of 693 votes and McGinnity-Wake received 484 votes.

The other winners James LaPierre and Lauren Brinkman received 398 and 369 votes respectively.

ASM Chair Gen Carter stressed the importance of involving students in issues that affect them.

She said ASM has already registered almost 3,000 people to vote over the last few months. They plan to continue the efforts until the Nov. 4 election.