The members of the Institute of Politics (IOP) elected committee leaders Thursday night after hearing two hours of speeches from candidates, who pledged to aid in the IOP’s effort to establish branches on other college campuses and to help improve the institute’s image around the University.

All of the committee chairs and three first-year-only positions on the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) were up for grabs.

“We had an incredible number of people running,” said IOP Vice President Betsy A. Sykes ’04. “I was very impressed and I had a very tough time deciding who to vote for.”

Jonathan S. Chavez ’05, the newly-elected chair of the community action committee, said that his goals are to increase voter turnout and registration on campus, to bring the program national, and to “consolidate advocacy on campus without having the IOP become an advocacy group.”

Brian M. Goldsmith ’05, who was reelected chair of the fellows committee, said that he wants to “bring more diversity into the fellows committee and continue to attract extraordinary fellows.”

Burden H. Walker ’06, David M. Kaden ’06 and Elise M. Stefanik ’06 were elected first-year members-at-large.

Walker said that he hopes to obtain an affordable dormitory for Harvard students interning in Washington D.C. for as soon as next summer.

Kaden said that he wants to recruit members of the Class of 2007 to help the IOP expand to other schools.

Others elected include Paloma A. Zepeda ’06 , chair of the internships committee; Daniel A. Dunay ’06, chair of the Harvard Political Union; Guillermo A. Coronado ’05, chair of the projects committee; Andrew J. Frank ’05, chair of conference committee; Ilan T. Graff ’05, chair of the study groups committee; James L. Granger ’05, chair of the outreach committee; and Elizabeth A. Goldschmidt ’06, chair of the Forum Committee.

—YAILETT FERNANDEZ