Students' options in the campus presidential race were narrowed Wednesday at a Student Government Association judicial court hearing.
SGA's court ruled that the slate headed by Matt Parker is not eligible to participate in this spring's SGA election.
Elections Board Chairman Joe Flores said the board will not let the slate run because it turned in half of the 400 required signatures at Monday's nomination convention. Parker, the presidential candidate, said the elections code does not distinguish nominees from candidates clearly.
"We want to make sure the code gets changed, so this doesn't happen to anyone else," Parker said. "It's not fun being held back..."
The code states that nominees become candidates after they turn in the required signatures. Elizabeth Stephan, Parker's vice-presidential candidate, said Monday that her slate gathered their final signatures after the nomination convention.
"We thought it'd be no problem the way it was stated in the elections code," Stephan said.
Nick Zuniga, the Tietz campaign manager, said he's never seen candidates attend the convention without their signatures. Zuniga has worked with slates in the last three elections.
Zuniga said he wasn't sure how the court's decision would affect Team Tietz's campaign.
Incumbent Jayson Manship said having three slates would only improve the election.
"The more candidates you have, the better the election," Manship said. "The students have more options."
Manship said whatever the court's decision, his campaign wouldn't change.
"We're not hoping they run or they don't run," Manship said. "I honestly don't think it will affect (the campaign)."
Zuniga said the Tietz campaign focused on Manship's platform and its own for tonight's debate.
"We know where we're going with his and ours," Zuniga said.
The presidential debate will take place tonight at 8 p.m. in the Student Center's Forum Room.
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