K-State Student Government Holds Elections for 2026-27 Term

Candidates Peña/Bastian and Wolter/Hendricks compete for president and vice president roles

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Kansas State University's Student Governing Association (SGA) held elections this week for the 2026-27 academic year, with Christian Peña and Caden Bastian running against Lauren Wolter and Matthew Hendricks for the president and vice president positions. All SGA positions, including student senators, the Union Governing Board, and the Collegian Media Group Student Advisory, were up for election.

Why it matters

The SGA is a highly active student government organization at K-State, advocating for improvements to student life. The election results will determine the leadership and priorities of the SGA for the upcoming year, impacting the experiences of all K-State students.

The details

According to the SGA website, any K-State student enrolled in at least one credit hour with a minimum 2.0 GPA, or any graduate student with a 3.0 GPA, is eligible to run for SGA positions. This year, 60 Senate seats were up for re-election, with varying numbers per K-State college. Students were able to vote through Canvas from February 24-25, with results announced on February 26.

  • The SGA elections were held from February 24-25, 2026.
  • The results were announced on February 26, 2026.

The players

Christian Peña

Candidate for SGA president, focused on continuing a positive and productive environment within the association.

Lauren Wolter

Candidate for SGA president, with a platform of "Inspire, Innovate and Impact" and a focus on voter advocacy and getting students involved in local elections.

Caden Bastian

Candidate for SGA vice president, running on the Peña/Bastian ticket.

Matthew Hendricks

Candidate for SGA vice president, running on the Wolter/Hendricks ticket.

Kansas State University Student Governing Association (SGA)

The student government organization at Kansas State University, which advocates for improvements to student life.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I think that one of the things that has stood out to me the most throughout my time with SGA is that we spend a lot of time together, whether that's on a Tuesday or a Thursday, we get to spend a lot of time together and get to be with people who don't think like us. We all have different perspectives on what SGA can and will look like moving forward. That allows us to grow as individuals as well as go into the Senate, with differing opinions, but at the end of the day, walk out of there shaking hands for the good of the university.”

— Christian Peña, SGA presidential candidate (kstatecollegian.com)

“Our platform is 'Inspire, Innovate and Impact,' and that is truly what we hope to do. We really hope to inspire students by exposing them to new opportunities to actually fit their interest. I'm personally really passionate that students should not just be involved on campus but involve citizens. We hope to do that by creating a partnership with a program called 'Vote Online' that would make it really easy for students to be able to be registered to vote and figure out how they can vote without leaving Manhattan ... with this being a primary year I think that that's really relevant in terms of innovating this campus.”

— Lauren Wolter, SGA presidential candidate (kstatecollegian.com)

What’s next

The newly elected SGA president and vice president will be sworn in and begin their term on April 1, 2026.

The takeaway

The SGA elections at Kansas State University demonstrate the importance of student engagement in campus governance, as the elected leaders will shape the experiences and opportunities available to all Wildcats in the coming academic year.