Two slates running for Student Government Association executive board began the election season at a nomination convention Tuesday evening.
The Loving Slate and the Manship Slate turned in their paperwork at the convention so they can begin campaigning.
Both slates have four members, including presidential, vice-presidential, secretarial and treasurer candidates.
The Manship slate, headed by presidential candidate junior Jayson Manship, includes members who have not yet participated in SGA.
"We are pretty strong all over campus," Adam Ittenbach, candidate for vice-president on the Manship slate. "We have a better understanding of Ball State as a whole."
Nick Loving, opposing candidate for president, is a current SGA senator. The The Loving slate includes members who currently hold senate seats or have held them before. He said the slate was confident about the race.
"We're experienced," Loving said. "We're going to carry the voice we were trying to carry all year in senate."
With platforms ready, candidates said they are ready to begin talking to students and getting their names known across campus.
Michael Metcalf, elections board chairman, said he is expecting a grassroots campaign from both slates.
"We're going to start with the hall councils," Loving said. "We want to hit every student organization that wants us to come."
Manship said his slate will start advertising with signs, t-shirts and speaking to students. He said although the platform is ready, the slate is looking to the student body for more suggestions.
Metcalf and five additional election board members will be monitoring the campaign from start to finish, Metcalf said. The board follows the elections code and watches for possible violations.
Students who observe possible elections code violations are encouraged to report to the elections board, Metcalf said. Students can fill out a paper form and Metcalf said an e-mail address will be set up for students to send possible violations. If a student observes a possible violation, they must list their name, address, phone number and date and time of the observed violation, including a description of the alleged violation.
Aside from monitoring the campaign, Metcalf said the elections board will focus on increasing voter turnout.
"We want to encourage students to vote and realize how important these elections are to them," Metcalf said.
Metcalf said he is ready to see a clean, competitive race.
"Both slates seem excited and eager," Metcalf said. "It is going to be a fun race to watch."
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