Absentee voting for Student Government candidates vying for positions is today. It is the only day students can vote absentee.
Full-time students can cast their votes between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the atrium of the Design Building.
Students will vote for SG president and vice president. The qualified candidates are, respectively, Jay Ducote and Collin Ford, Brad Golson and Jenny Byrd, Maurice Gipson and Lori King, and Brandon Smith and Pete Schneider.
In addition to the candidates running for the top two SG positions, many students also are competing for seats on the Student Senate, college councils, Union Governing Board, University Court and Athletic Council.
Even though the new version of the Election Code, which allows students to vote through their PAWS account from anywhere on campus, will not be implemented until next semester, this election marks the first time absentee voting will be held in the Design Building’s atrium.
Amanda Callais, SG election commissioner, said last semester the Student Senate passed an election code which allows the commissioner of elections to hold absentee voting at any location he chooses.
She said absentee voting was moved from the lobby of Johnston Hall due to concerns about long lines, disability access and the availability of wireless computers.
Callais said the Design Building was a better location than Johnston Hall because of its size.
She said the building’s multiple entry points allow for non-voting students to move in and out of the building without having to maneuver their way through long voting lines.
Also, the building’s wireless network connections are capable of supporting more computers used for voting, Callais said.
“It is also on the same side of campus as Johnston which I thought would be fair to students who are often disgruntled by the large masses of campaigners in the Quad on general and run-off election dates,” she said.
Students who do not vote absentee will be able to cast their vote March 24 in the general election.