SGA candidates kick off campaigning

Candidates for Student Government Association (SGA) positions were required to turn in an application by 5 p.m. March 17 to the Elections Committee and campaigning officially started at 12 a.m. on March 27.

The candidates for President are Patrick Cook, a Mechanical Engineering major; William G. Ferguson, an Industrial Systems and Engineering major; Alison Graab, an EAS and International Affairs major and Richard Wright, an Industrial Engineering major.

The candidates for Vice President are Aaron Buldoc, a Biology major; Paul Byrne, a Management major; Toyo Sara Okadawon, a Chemistry major; and Mark Youngblood, a Computer Engineering major.

Thirty-six other candidates are running for a variety of positions including freshman, sophomore, junior and senior representatives; representatives of their major; and co-op representative.

The list for class, major and co-op representatives is not set yet, but the list for President and Vice President is finalized.

Behind the election scenes is the Election Committee who does everything from planning the election to ensuring the rules are respected to making sure sufficient word gets out about the elections to keep the students informed.

“My role in this election process is basically to coordinate the elections,” said Danny Puckett, Elections Chair for SGA. “I was responsible for creating an Election Committee and creating a timeline for these elections to take place.”

Campaigning will last for two weeks, while the actual elections will be held over a three-day period.

“The campaigning started this past Monday and will continue until the elections which are being held between April 10 and April 12,” Puckett said. “The polls will close at 4 p.m. on Wednesday [April 12], and the election results will be announced at 5 p.m.”

Now that the campaigning season is underway, the Election Committee’s role has changed.

“I am now responsible for advertising the election,” Puckett said.

One goal of the committee it to have a large number of studnents vote. “We want to make sure all students know about the election and how to vote for the candidates of their choosing. Our goal is to have a high voter turnout,” Puckett said.

The committee is also responsible for making sure the candidates play by the rules.

“We are responsible for running hearings in the cases of election violations,” Puckett said.

The candidates will make numerous appearances around campus to get their names out to the student body.

“There will be a meet and greet the candidates on WREK Radio Thursday between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.,” Puckett said.

Puckett said details for the debate are still being determined. “We are also planning on having a debate, but the date is not set. The occurrence of Sting Break has made a conflict for the usual spot at the base of the Campanile. Once the date and location of the debate has been set, the students will be notified.”

Students who are not running for an office are still able to participate in the elections and the process of solidifying next year’s SGA.

“Once the president and vice-president have been set, they will be sending out applications to fill spots for committee chairs,” Puckett said.

Puckett said that other opportunities will also exist. “They will also be looking to fill any position that was not filled by the election, so there are plenty of opportunities for students wishing to get involved,” he said.

More information can be found at the SGA website, www.sga.gatech.edu/elections.