In an overwhelming victory, Lamelle D. Rawlins '99 yesterday became the second popularly elected and first ever female president of the Undergraduate Council.

Mark A. Price '98 won the vice presidential race in a victory split between two rival candidate tickets.

"I'm thrilled to be given the chance by the student body to serve as president," said Rawlins, interviewed at her victory party last night.

Turnout for the election was 43 percent of the student body, down slightly from last year's 46 percent, but much higher than the 25 percent who voted in this fall's election of council representatives. The total number of votes was 2,769.

In the single transferable voting system, all candidates are ranked and the last-place finisher is eliminated. That person's votes are redistributed to whoever was second on those ballots. The process continues until there is one winner.

Rawlins garnered 765 votes in the first round, with Eric M. Nelson '99 and Elizabeth A. Haynes '98 trailing with 397 and 343 votes, respectively. After Nelson was eliminated in the final round, Rawlins received 1,446 total votes.

Nelson said he was satisfied with his performance in the race and was looking forward to getting back to his work as Student Affairs Committee chair on the council.

"I'd like to congratulate and give my full support to Lamelle," Nelson said. "I look forward to working with her on behalf of students."

Haynes had no comment last night.

Rawlins, the current vice president, was considered the frontrunner throughout the race. A Crimson poll taken last week gave her a slight lead over the other 11 candidates.

Rawlins won the campus-wide vice presidential race last April on a ticket with current president Robert M. Hyman '98, beating runner up Haynes. This time, her vice presidential running mate, Michael A. O'Mary '99, placed third.

The vice presidential race centered on the two top candidates, with Joseph A. Sena '99 trailing Price by only 37 first-round votes.

Price ran on a ticket with third-place presidential candidate Haynes.

"I'm very happy that I won, but my heart goes out to my running mate [Haynes] because we entered as a team and I feel disappointed for her," Price said.

The 11 other presidential candidates followed Rawlins in this order: Nelson, Haynes, Benjamin R. Kaplan '99, Philip R. Kaufman '98, Justin E. Porter '99, Albert S. Lee'98, Adam D. "Waka" Green '99, Eli W. Bolotin '98, Joseph G. Cleeman '98, David Goodman '97-'98 and William P. Pyonteck, Jr. '00.

Sena, O'Mary, Selamawi H. Asgedom '99 and Ethan G. Russell '98 followed Price in the vice presidential race.