We met with both tickets. We talked with them and picked their brains, asked them questions about their vision of the future of the Government of the Student Body.

We’ve talked to each other about the pros and cons of each ticket. We talked to our friends about who we thought would make the best student leader.

We told you which candidates we thought would best represent Iowa State. The polls are open, and now it’s your turn to let your voice be heard.

The 2010 GSB elections are underway, and the online polls opened early Monday morning — and will remain active through the end of Tuesday.

At your leisure — perhaps in between checking Facebook and tuning into the Shiba Inu puppy cam — you can log into the online voting and election system and cast your ballot.

We know you’re busy — so are we — but it’s really easy to vote, and it only takes about three minutes.

This year, we have two great tickets vying for the nomination. The amount of time they’ve put into their campaigns is evident, as is their passion for GSB.

If you’re still on the fence about whom you’d like to vote for, both candidates have created their own Web pages to relay their platform issues. Just Google Peterson/Wilson or Roling/Dobbels to find information about each ticket.

That being said, the Editorial Board strongly encourages you to take two minutes out of your day to cast your vote.

Voting is just as much about supporting fellow ISU students as it is about supporting a campaign. Luke Roling, Nate Dobbels, Chandra Peterson and Jacob Wilson work hard and have goals, just like you.

They’ve taken the initiative to speak out on behalf of the student body about issues they feel are important.

It’s evident they all care about their school and want the best for their classmates. These students spend hours in the West Student Office Space creating bills and working with constituents, along with enduring long weekly meetings. On top of that, these candidates are students, too, spending extra hours working on GSB with the hope of enacting change; and that’s admirable.

Keep that in consideration if you feel apathetic about voting.

Or, think of it this way: Students on GSB are responsible for managing and allocating funds that come from your student activity fee.

If you’re part of a club or organization, chances are GSB has distributed a portion of this fund to your group. GSB handles a staggering amount of student money. It’s up to you to decide who is best fit to lead the organization that makes decisions on how $1.3 million are spent. Just think about the Varsity Theater project and how much money the project requires.

Have we convinced you to take just a few minutes out of your day to cast your vote?

We hope so.

The Editorial Board is excited about what these candidates could potentially do in 2010–’11.

They are all smart, hard-working students who deserve recognition for their involvement with student affairs.

So, if you haven’t already, GO VOTE.

Good luck to both of the tickets. Your campaigns have proved that you have the potential be great leaders, and we’re looking forward to seeing what the newest elected officials have in store for us.