Tickets ready for elections

Covered with several fresh layers of paint, the bridges of Jordan Avenue are a cutthroat battleground for candidates for IU Student Association offices.\nThe Supernova ticket had someone watch their bridge until 2 a.m. Monday morning, said sophomore Jeff Wuslich, Supernova candidate for vice president for administration.\nBut when the person left, their advertisement was painted over by a rival ticket, he said.\nSigns of the IUSA elections -- including the bridges -- have been appearing all over campus in the last few days.\nThe five IUSA tickets -- House, Imagine, Miracle, ONE and Supernova -- are now working to get out the vote.\nThe elections will be held today and Wednesday.\nStudents can vote on paper ballots or online, said IUSA President Meredith Suffron, a senior.\nPolls at the Main Library, Kelley School of Business, Ballantine Hall and the School of Music will be open today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Indiana Memorial Union poll site will be open both days 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.\nOnline voting will be available 24 hours a day through Wednesday by a link on IUSA's Web site at www.indiana.edu/~iusa.\nDuring the past two months, each IUSA ticket has been planning their campaign strategy. They will be going door to door, making signs and calling friends to get out the vote, candidates said Monday.\nThe House ticket has attempted to drum up campus support by passing out fliers in residence halls and on campus, said freshman Dale Drizd, House ticket candidate for president. The ticket plans to focus on students, he said.\n"It's all about doing what students get a say in and what they do and do not want," Drizd said.\nThe group said its strength is focusing on improving current standards established by past IUSA administrations.\nThe Imagine ticket plans to spend today meeting as many people as possible and telling them what the ticket is all about, said graduate student Mike Fowler, the ticket's campaign manager. \n "We're optimistic and full of energy," he said.\n Fowler said Imagine will did not have ticket meetings, but will be meeting with student groups and trying to turn out the vote.\n The ticket outlines its goals as "ideas," not parts of a platform. Their ideas will evolve and serve students, senior Sidney Bosley, candidate for president, said.\n "We want students to imagine what student government can do for them, how we can serve them," Bosley said.\nThe Miracle ticket met last night to plan election strategy, presidential candidate Scott Hamlin said. Candidates decided on a plan to distribute fliers and send e-mails to remind people to vote today.\nHamlin said the ticket also planned to make signs Monday night, to wear around campus today.\n"(People) should vote for the Miracle ticket because we're realistic with our approach to what we can get done in a year," Hamlin said. "We feel our diversity will allow us to amplify the student voice."\nHamlin said he believes no ticket has a distinct advantage over any other ticket. He said he is optimistic about his ticket's chances.\n"My expectation is that it's going to be a very close race," Hamlin said.\nThe ONE ticket has also been busy preparing for election day.\nONE campaign co-coordinator senior Eli Ewing said candidates from his ticket will be present at all major locations on campus today and tomorrow, including Ballantine Hall, the Memorial Union and the Main Library. According to Ewing, the group is now primarily focusing on activism rather than closed-door politics.\n"Our candidates living in residence halls realize the importance of getting out and campaigning within their units," Ewing said. "We're trying to get people to go out and campaign in teams, because it makes it more fun." \nLast night, the Supernova ticket had a "pep rally" to kick off the election, Wuslich said.\nHe said Supernova has been contacting supporters since yesterday evening. He said he wants to keep the campaign clean until the end and stick to the rules.\nThe repainting of the bridges by other tickets was a violation of a campaign rule prohibiting the destruction of opposition campaign material, Wuslich added.\nWuslich said Supernova candidates have already begun to contact people they know to remind them to vote for the ticket.\n"We don't want the other tickets to have one single vote," he said. "We want every single vote."\nExecutive candidates must receive 40 percent of the vote or lead by 20 percent to win, according to IUSA election rules. If no executive ticket meets these requirements, a run-off will be held the week after the election.