Students running for Associated Students Inc. positions were able to start campaigning on Tuesday.
This year, there are five candidates running for president, four candidates for vice president and two candidates for treasurer.
Candidates attended a mandatory meeting on either Tuesday or Wednesday to go over the campaigning rules and procedures in the elections handbook.
After candidates attend one of the mandatory meetings, they are allowed to begin their campaigning. Any campaigning prior to the meeting is prohibited and is grounds for disqualification.
The five candidates running for president are Nicholas Donn, Elizabeth Gamboa, John Haberstroh, James Suazo and Stephen Thomas.
The four candidates running for vice president are Jonathon Bolin, Priscilla Covarrubias, Diana Phan and Jorge Soriano.
The two candidates running for treasurer are Jose Espeleta and Amanda Jordan Cattuzzo.
Candidates have already started staking their campaign posters on grassy areas all over campus.
“I’m going to be targeting the underrepresented population, such as master’s students, international students, athletes and freshman,” Espeleta said.
During the meeting, candidates submitted the names of the official people who are working for their campaign.
A candidate can receive a campaign violation if someone campaigns for them with their knowledge but without being listed as a campaign worker at the time.
Candidates are prohibited from going door-to-door distributing flyers or other campaign materials, or to solicit by knocking in the residence halls.
According to the handbook, any candidate or their campaign workers who are found to have disturbed, defaced or removed any campaign material of any other candidate will be regarded as having committed a campaign violation against that candidate.
Over the next two weeks, candidates will be following their own campaigning procedures to introduce their platforms to students.
“The most important thing is to get the word out about current issues and to ensure that students know about the election process,” Thomas said.
Students will start voting for their candidates of choice via online ballot March 19-22.