One member of The Journal’s editorial board holds a position on the Judicial Committee. They were not involved in the editing and reporting process of this story.
After weeks of uncertainty, the Residence Society (ResSoc) has finalized its executive team for the 2025-26 academic year.
John Bae, ArtSci ’26, was elected president, while Chloe Wedji, Comm ’27, secured the role of vice-president (society operations). Yahya Mohamed, Sci ’26, who ran uncontested received the vote of confidence to be the next vice-president (society operations).
Out of 4,801 eligible voters, 662—13.8 per cent—participated in the election. Bae received 66.4 per cent of the votes over Amin Meghdadi, HealthSci ’26, Wedji secured 62.8 per cent of the vote against Deborah Akinbile, ArtSci ’25, and Mohamed received 100 per cent of the vote of confidence in the uncontested race.
The newly elected President and Vice-President (Society Operations) didn’t respond to The Journal’s request for comment on their plans for the year. However, Mohamed shared a statement reflecting on his campaign experiences and the road ahead.
“I’m beyond grateful to have had the chance to run for VPSO. It’s been a rewarding experience, and while there were some challenges along the way, I’m excited for what the future holds. I can’t wait to work with the new team to bring some of the ideas I’ve been ionate about to life,” he said.
A day before the results were initially set to be released, the Judicial Affairs Office (JAO) announced in a Feb. 13 Instagram post it had launched an investigation into a complaint regarding the ResSoc executive elections. The complaint, received on Feb. 11, delayed the election results by approximately two weeks.
The nature and details of the complaint weren’t disclosed in any of the media statements provided by the JAO. A March 6 AMS statement on ResSoc’s elections decisions reiterated the need to create a safe space on campus and respect the privacy of all parties involved.
READ MORE: ResSoc election results withheld after complaint to Judicial Affairs Office
The AMS’s statement said the Judicial Committee (JCOMM), the adjudicative branch of the Judicial System, found no evidence of bias within the ResSoc election team or external interference. However, the report highlighted systemic failures, citing a lack of proper procedures, resources, and training for the election team.
ResSoc bylaws 8.2.2 (iii) and 8.2.2 (iv) require an election team to be hired by Dec. 1, yet the team was only appointed on Jan. 17—just 11 days before nomination packages were due. JCOMM determined the policy violations stemmed from procedural failures rather than negligence by the election team itself.
To address these issues, JCOMM recommended ResSoc develop formal training resources for its election team, establish conflict of interest procedures—referencing the AMS Appointment Policy or create their own—and ensure incoming executives undergo training on procedural fairness and conflicts of interest.
In a statement sent to The Journal, ResSoc’s Chief Electoral Officer Simarjeet Singh praised JCOMM for its transparency and fairness, emphasizing the importance of a learning-based approach to improving future elections. However, Singh acknowledged the lack of , resources, and training for the election team, calling it a systemic failure that made the process challenging from the start.
“On a personal level, I sincerely hope that the next Hiring and Elections Committee, takes major steps to ensure these issues never happen again. There must be a stronger effort to establish a predetermined onboarding process, ensuring that all election-related roles have the necessary and preparation well in advance,” Singh said.
The new executive team will assume their positions on May 1.
Corrections
A previous version of this story incorrectly said that JCOMM is part of the JAO. They are two separate branches within the AMS’s Judicial System.
The Journal regrets the error
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