SG elections begin today

Voting for the student body president and vice president will be open 24/7 from today until Thursday.

Supervisor of Elections James Bodden said in previous years, voting opened in the morning and closed in the evening. However, several students complained about not being able to vote because they were in class.

“Some were getting really disenfranchised with this,” he said.

Voting will now be available via Blackboard and the Student Government website at sg.usf.edu/vote.

“Live” polling stations with laptops for voting will be available outside the Andros and Argos dining halls, the College of Business and Administration building, Campus Recreation Center, Juniper-Poplar Hall, Cooper Hall and the Marshall Student Center at varying times throughout the week.

Last year, more than 4,100 students voted in the elections, beating the previous year’s turnout despite technology errors that prevented some from voting.

Bodden said the increased accessibility of voting hours may lead to a small increase in voter turnout, but was not sure it would result in “a ton more votes.”

The six candidates running are Christopher Cano, Alan Ethington, Brian Goff, Christina Hughes, Sarah Pollei and Omar Rodriguez.

-Staff Report