(From left to right) Presidential candidates Jose Luis Sanchez and Mark Lipkin prepare to square off in the upcoming elections. (Joe Barrack)
Elections will be held from April 30 through May 2 to fill vacancies in the Skyline student government.
The elections will determine the student body president, vice president, commissioner of activities, commissioner of finance, the office of public records and vacancies in the student senate. Currently, there are nine students running for executive positions and five students running for senate seats.
The field of candidates expanded after the extension of the deadline for student government applications. The deadline was prolonged as a means to encourage more students to run for government, as the turnout was presumably low at its previous date. The final date for write-in candidates was April 18.
The increased number of candidates has led to a more hotly contested race among candidates running for executive positions, as the field has become more impacted.
Voter turnout for the most recent student election was decidedly low, coming in at just over 3 percent for the fall 2011 ASSC elections. ASSC vice president Edwina Yuan stressed the importance of student voter turnout, as it is a means to directly influence Skyline College.