Elliot Spillers

University of Alabama SGA president-elect Elliot Spillers speaks to the crowd at an MLK Day celebration in Tuscaloosa. (Ben Flanagan/al.com)

The University of Alabama Tuesday elected their first black Student Government Association president in almost four decades.

Elliot Spillers, a junior from Pelham, is also considered to be the first non-Machine candidate to win the election since John Merrill (now Alabama's Secretary of State) won in 1986.

This will be Spillers' first elected position within the SGA, where he has served appointed positions, most recently as deputy director of engagement.

He is studying business management with a political science minor, and is a member of the Honors College.

Spillers said he was "shocked and thankful" after receiving the election results.

"This is my third time at this, and each time I've grown tremendously as a leader and a person," Spillers said when reached by phone Tuesday evening. "I've never lost hope, hope for this university and what we'll accomplish in the next year. The real work begins tomorrow. To all the students who voted for me, thank you. It's because of you we have the opportunity to bring sustainable change here to Alabama."

It is done. With your incredible help, I have been elected SGA President for the 2015-2016 year. Thank you. Thank you so much. — Elliot Spillers (@ElliotSpillers) March 11, 2015

Spillers defeated Stephen Keller for the position, who is currently vice president of student affairs in the SGA.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Keller congratulated Spillers on an "excellent campaign" and thanked his supporters.

Student newspaper The Crimson White reported voter turnout was the highest it has been in at least six years. Spillers received 8,602 of the 14,931 votes cast.

Spillers' campaign manager Mark Hammontree said Tuesday the campaign and student involvement felt more energized than any other SGA election he's seen during his time at UA.

"Elliot has a quality that attracts people and energizes them and makes them believe change is actually possible," Hammontree said. "What really set his campaign apart was his ability to make people from all parts of campus feel they have a place in his campaign. Therefore, potentially, if he won they would feel like they have a place in the SGA, and the SGA would be representative of all of campus, as it should be."

As with elections of years past, the Spillers-Keller campaign was not without controversy.

Hammontree called certain Greek support for Spillers' campaign "huge," particularly the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity's decision to hang a Spillers banner from the front of their house on campus.

Early Thursday morning, two unidentified men were caught on surveillance tape stealing the banner, according to The Crimson White.

Keller denied any involvement and denounced the theft.

"Our campaign is based on fairness and transparency, and we do not condone any action to harm my opponent or his campaign," Keller wrote on his Facebook page. "I believe it is crucial in the spirit of civil discourse to remain cordial and friendly with my opponent so that we may continue good working relationships regardless of the results."

Spillers will be the second black president in the SGA's 100-year history, following Cleo Thomas's election in 1976.

Thomas is thought to have recruited significant supporters within the sorority community, along with independent students, to buck the Machine, a secret group of traditionally white fraternities and sororities who are thought to have controlled campus institutions for decades.

In an investigative series on the Machine during the 2011-12 school year, student newspaper The Crimson White confirmed many details that are synonymous with Alabama lore students from years past have known -- the Machine consists of upwards of two dozens Greek houses (in 2011, there were 28 member houses), each with a younger and an older representative who attend Machine meetings.

In their 2011 report, the CW confirmed each affiliated Greek house pay at least $850 a semester to fund the organizations, reps' bar tabs and an annual beach vacation.

In return, the group secretly endorses candidates for SGA senate and SGA executive offices and controls an impressive voting bloc.

SGA elections are not just contentious for UA students. The university's Faculty Senate frequently discussed the Machine and its influence during heated meetings in 2013 while dealing with the fall-out of possible Greek tampering with a local school board election and the lack of diversity in the sorority system.

News of the election results spread quickly Tuesday night, resonating widely with current students and alumni on social media.

Many are calling Spillers' election a sign of progress for the University of Alabama, which has weathered several race-related scandals and upheavals in recent years.

"It can be really frustrating and you can become disillusioned, living in this state and going to this school," Hammontree said, noting there have been times where Machine candidates have run unopposed in recent years. "It's really easy to think things aren't going to change. But tonight shows that we're ready for it. We took a huge step forward tonight."