local bars. As a result of possible voter fraud, Kirby's and Garrison's opponents refused to concede, and University of Alabama faculty have questioned whether The Machine has corrupted the democratic process in the City of Tuscaloosa. Election of Elliot Spillers In 2015, independent student Elliot Spillers was elected to the presidency, beating the Machine for the first time since Merrill. His election was followed by political stagnation, including the Senate initially blocking the confirmation of his chief of staff, Chisolm Allenlundy, before the administration forced the confirmation. The incident was reported in a few media outlets, and calls again came pressuring the university administration to take action against the organization. Election of Jared Hunter In 2017, the Machine backed an African American, Jared Hunter, for SGA President for the first time in its history. Hunter acknowledged his support from the Machine in an op-ed for the Crimson White during campaign season. Despite calls for his withdrawal over the article, as well as allegations of campaign finance violations, Hunter won the election and subsequently served until his resignation over a DUI arrest in early 2018. See also Collegiate secret societies in North America References External links University of Alabama SGA Senate The Crimson White WelcomeToTheMachine, a database on the machine, published anonymously 'Bama Girl, Documentary film about a black woman running for Homecoming Queen at the University of Alabama against The Machine 1999: CNN on Fabien Zinga death threat allegations 2009/AP: Top SGA offices at Alabama eluding minorities 2001: Secret network keeps sororities white (The Guardian) 2010: Sorority directed support for certain candidates (The Crimson White) Student societies in the United States University of Alabama Collegiate secret societies