It’s the week before the LSU Student Government spring election, which means the usual overload of fliers and stickers near Free Speech Plaza.
But this year’s election cycle is slightly different from those of the past, as only one ticket is running for the top two Executive branch seats.
The Affect campaign is running unopposed for the SG’s president and vice President positions. But despite the lack of competition, Affect’s presidential nominee Jason Badeaux said the campaign has been able to shift focus leading up to Monday’s election.
“Being the only major ticket, has kind of allowed us to gear our message from ‘hey, vote for us,’ to ‘hey, this is what we’re doing for you and this is how you can get involved to help us out,” Badeaux said.
Some University students, like sophomore Amir Najdi, said the lack of competition in this year’s election may be due to a lack of student interest.
“And maybe it’s reflective of how our Student Government isn’t bringing in a lot of interest if not more than one party is participating,” Najdi said.
Badeaux said he recognizes the feeling of disconnect between students and SG, and hopes the Affect campaign will bridge the gap between the two.
“You know, sometimes we feel like students feel disconnected from student government, or they don’t really know what’s going on.” Badeaux said. “So, it’s important for us to try to connect with the student body as a whole.”