Online voting begins Friday for the annual Government of the Student Body elections, and ISU students are faced with a deficiency of candidates on the ballot – 37 open senate seats, only one of which is contested, and 15 or more that will have to be filled by write-in votes.

Students who did choose to run face a perceived lack of student interest in the not-so-hotly contested campaigns, said Angela Groh, GSB president and senior in political science.

Groh said it is unfair to place the blame for the lack of competitiveness on the eight-member election commission, whose responsibility it is to run and police the elections. The burden rests instead on GSB senators to pass on information to the students they represent.

“I think it was really disappointing that there weren’t more contested seats this year,” Groh said. “That really – to an extent – lies within the [GSB]. A lot of it falls on the senate to publicize opportunities within their own constituencies.”

The election commission is in place to act more as “referees” to ensure a fair and clean election rather than to publicize the elections, Groh said.

Mansoor Khadir, election commissioner and senior in economics, said the low levels of participation in the upcoming general election are harmful to the student body, but that messages from students who are campaigning for seats are being overshadowed.

“Yes, there are a lot of vacant candidacies, but there are 20 people who want to make a difference,” he said. “And there are two really good executive slates with really good ideas, and I think that gets overlooked.”

Off-campus Senator Daniel Becker, senior in accounting, is surprised at the low awareness of available positions within GSB. He said this year’s election commission under Khadir has done more than its share to get the word out to students about opportunities.

“I think they’ve done the best job of publicizing the election in the four years I’ve been here,” he said.

In past years, four required candidate seminars were held for students interested in seeking GSB office. Khadir said 20 were held this year between Jan. 23 and Feb. 8, although only seven scheduled seminars appear on the GSB election commission Web site.

In addition to attending one seminar, candidates are required to submit a deposit of $75, along with a petition containing 100 student signatures, to be placed on the ballot, according to the 2006 GSB election code. Executive slates must collect 1,500 signatures and deposit $150.

Khadir said the good faith deposit is used to level fines against candidates if an election law is broken during the campaign, such as campaigning within restricted areas, exceeding spending limits or displaying unapproved campaign material. Deposits are returned to candidates following the election.

Becker said he feels the upfront cost of entering the general election may be too steep for some students to handle, and that may be keeping interested students from participating.

“Seventy-five bucks for a college student is pretty pricey,” he said. “If there is one contributing factor, that very well may have been it.”

Eric Aderhold, senior in computer engineering and an Inter-Residence Hall Association senator who is running for re-election, agreed that ballot requirements may be too tough and also said the negative image ISU students have of GSB may further deter students who want to get involved in student government.

“People don’t know a lot about GSB. People have bad impressions of GSB, some of which are deserved,” he said.

Whatever the reasons may be, Groh is concerned that the absence of any competitive races and a “lack of publicity” will cost the election more than just a little excitement.

“Last year we had over 5,000 turn out to vote,” she said. “I want to see us improve our student-voter turnout. I’m a little concerned at this time that we’re not where we need to be.”