In celebration of Constitution Week, freshmen and seniors get to practice their right to vote in the Student Government Association’s elections today. Eighteen freshmen and three seniors spent the past two weeks campaigning to earn their spot in the 2012-2013 SGA board and make their mark on their class.

The process of running for president of a class is a long-winded but rewarding one. Each hopeful candidate has to secure 600 signatures from their peers, to prove that they will receive enough votes once the election process begins, and to narrow down the large list.

For the class of 2016, the upwards of two dozen applicants thinned to 18 candidates after the signature stage. Once the final list of contenders was confirmed last Tuesday, campaigning began.

Students said over the past two weeks they have been bombarded by promotional fliers, promises of air conditioning and swimming pools, funny videos and Facebook group requests. Many students, like freshman Ashley Castro, found these beneficial.

“The students running [for president] advertised very well through fliers, meet and greets and incentives like snacks; it gave us more personal interaction,” Castro said.

Freshman athlete Simon Brossier counteracted Castro, having doubt in the election in all.

“Most of the people running just want to do it to be popular,” Brossier said. “They are not going to make the university better. It feels as though the whole group is separated. There are the candidates, and then the rest of the students; they are not very connected.”

Brossier isn’t the only one with this viewpoint. Some freshmen said the candidates only offered empty promises and no actual reasoning for why they should be elected.

“I wish more people would tell us why they want to be president instead of just posting pictures of themselves and saying ‘vote for me,’” freshman Jack Brady said. “They knock on our doors at inconvenient times to tell us to vote for them and don’t give us reasons.”

The election process is available now until 8 p.m. Students can vote online via qu.collegiatelink.net. After the votes have been counted, the election committee will make phone calls to each candidate with their results.

Visit quchronicle.com for profiles on all freshman candidates.