How we pick them -

Explaining the editorial board’s endorsement process

As the student body election season heats up, so too does The Daily Tar Heel’s editorial board. The next month is the most important period for the opinion page and a time in which we have the opportunity to make the most impact on the student body.

Hundreds of students are heavily invested in these campaigns. Many have spent countless hours working on platforms, developing strategies or campaigning.

And the greater student body, even though they might not be intimately involved in the election process, will be directly affected by the outcome of these races — from basketball ticket policies to the location of senior bar nights.

Therefore, as in years past, the DTH’s editorial board will be endorsing candidates for Residence Hall Association president, senior class officers, Carolina Athletic Association president and student body president.

These endorsements will run on the opinion page during the last week of campaigning, ending with our student body president selection on election day.

We will not be running any letters to the editor endorsing any particular student for any office. Giving one candidate more publicity than another would not be fair.

We will also serve as the public watchdog for these candidacies, ensuring that they follow election law as outlined in the Student Code and the Board of Elections, which is charged with enforcing these election laws.

All candidates will receive a questionnaire from the editorial board to be returned for our endorsement process. The questionnaire will be publicly posted, and each candidate’s answers will be posted to the DTH’s Web site.

All candidates will also be interviewed by the editorial board. Candidates for RHA president, senior class officers and CAA president will receive 30-minute interviews.

Student body president candidates will receive one-hour interviews.

Candidates are allowed to bring one member of their campaign, but he or she will not be permitted to participate in the interview.

We look forward to participating in this year’s election.