Updated: Nov. 7, 2016 at 9:47 p.m.

One junior plans to get to the polls bright and early on election day – but not to vote.

Instead, Eve Zhurbinskiy is working to get re-elected to the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission as a write-in candidate, with campaign goals focused on sexual harassment prevention, public safety and affordability.

Zhurbinskiy said that if she earns her seat again, she will increase access to rape kits, push for sidewalk improvements and prevent sexual assault and harassment at bars by training employees to intervene through the Safe Bars program.

Zhurbinskiy, who currently represents parts of campus that include eight residence halls and eight Greek houses, was elected to the commission last year. She also serves as the ANC’s treasurer.

She said serving as a commissioner is a rewarding experience and one she hopes to have again by winning this election.

“I think it’s definitely the most fulfilling thing I’ve done at GW,” she said. “I get a lot of enjoyment out of it.”

On Election Day, Zhurbinskiy said she will get to the polling location at School Without Walls at 6:45 a.m. to put in a full 13 hours of campaigning. Even though no one is running against her, Zhurbinskiy said it is “nerve-wracking” being a write-in candidate. She said that she needs a majority of the votes over anyone else who could be written in.

She is running as a write-in candidate because she did not get the necessary 25 signatures to put her on the ballot over the summer when few students were living in the 16 residence halls her position represents.

“It’s usually easy when you have a lot of permanent residents, but in this case there just weren’t any so that was hard,” she said.

Zhurbinskiy has spent her last term advancing her original platform, which included issues ranging from sexual assault response to campus safety.

Zhurbinskiy actively opposed legislation that would have allowed the University Police Department to patrol off campus. Last fall, she introduced a proposal that would allow students to ride the Metro for $1 a day and another proposal to add better lighting to the I Street Mall.

This September she supported a bill that would make feminine hygiene products tax-free in D.C. And last month Zhurbinskiy criticized GW for not supporting a D.C. Council bill that would give people who live or work in D.C. up to 12 weeks of paid leave.

If re-elected, Zhurbinskiy said she wants to work on accomplishing another aspect of her previous campaign platform: creating a Capital Bikeshare discount for staff and students.

“I definitely put a lot of hours into it, and I think it’s really great when we can make substantial changes because fixing sidewalks seems like minor stuff, but it does have an impact in our community,” Zhurbinskiy said.

After joining the ANC, Zhurbinskiy said she “mostly scaled down” on participating in other activities on campus, but she still remains involved in a few. She serves on the GW Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Training committee, is a member of the GW College Democrats and coaches chess to elementary school students through Silver Knights Enrichment.

Patrick Kennedy, the chair of the Foggy Bottom ANC, said it’s “kind of a rigged system” for students to get on the ballot for ANC seats because it’s challenging to find other students who are registered to vote in D.C. and who are on campus over the summer. He added that the commissioner who held the seat before Zhurbinskiy was also elected as a write-in candidate when he was a GW student four years ago. Kennedy said he understands the challenges Zhurbinskiy faces as student and commissioner.

Kennedy said the junior works hard at maintaining relationships with community members and keeping up-to-date on issues they care about.

“I wholeheartedly support her because I think she’s done a tremendous job on the commission,” Kennedy said. “Your influence is going to be very much based on the work that you put in and the aptitude that you have for picking up information and making the most of it, and I think she really has that.

This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Kennedy was elected as a write-in candidate. His name was on the ballot. We regret this error.