Three of the five declared candidates for student body president were able to collect close to 5,000 signatures and officially enter the race Tuesday night.
Andrew Powell, Nikita Shamdasani and Emilio Vicente all acquired— and exceeded — the 1,250 required signatures.
Manoj Mirchandani and Winston Howes did not gather enough to qualify Tuesday, but they will have until Wednesday at 5 p.m. to gain the required amount.
Board of Elections Chairman Robert Windsor said the two submitted their signatures in the wrong format, which meant the board would not be able to cross-check names with other lists to ensure there are no duplicates.
If a name shows up on more than one list, it will not be counted for either candidate. But due to the circumstances, if currently certified candidates have duplicate names on their petitions removed that take them below 1,250, they will not be penalized.
Howes, whose platform aims to improve campus technology, said he and his team would be continue to collect signatures to ensure that his name will be on the ballot.
“We’re technically over the 1,250 mark, but if we have too many duplicate signatures we’ll fall below,” he said. “I’d hate to see that happen.”
Mirchandani, who said he wants to work on topics such as the shortened drop-add period, said he met more than 1,000 students in the past week. He said he was eager to get back to Lenoir Dining Hall today for more signatures.
“We’re going to do the same thing we’ve always been doing — standing out there talking to people, getting the word out,” he said.
