Government of the Student Body President Mike Banasiak may become the last of the Rock-Paper-Scissors presidents.

Concerns have been raised about GSB’s current election code, which stipulates that positions of presidential candidates on ballots are determined by having the students participate in a round-robin tournament of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Wednesday, GSB will vote on changing the election code to randomize the order of the candidate’s names listed on online ballots. The new code would give each group of candidates a chance to be at the top of the ballot for an equal amount of time.

The change was suggested because of concerns over the results of the last three elections, where candidates who received the majority of votes held the top position on the ballot.

Senatorial ballots are currently decided by drawing numbers from a hat. The new code would apply to both elections.

“Historically, the top person on the ballot tends to win,” said Tony Luken, GSB speaker of the senate. “What we’re trying to do is essentially spread it around.”

The new code is expected to take effect in time for the upcoming elections in March.

The amount of pull a candidate’s position on the top of the ballot holds is debatable. Clint Fichter, GSB election commissioner, said the position is crucial.

“A lot of people are voting for the first thing they see,” he said. “Ballot positioning is important to elections. It is proven that being on the top of the ballot helps.”

With the new system, he said, everyone will have a certain amount of time at the top, negating the influence of being first on the list.

Banasiak, who headed last year’s ballot with running mate and GSB Vice President Ben Albright, said the effect of positioning on the decisions of voters is negligible.

“I guess it depends on the candidates,” he said. “Last year, obviously, it was a close race. But I think it helps.”

Banasiak and Albright were elected last year by the narrowest margin seen in the past three years of the election cycle, defeating the ticket of Shawn Faurote and Vicky Lio by 164 votes.

Banasiak said he doesn’t attribute his victory last year entirely to his position on the ballot, but admits that it may have helped.

Albright said he estimates being listed above other candidates is generally worth about 50 votes in the election. But he echoed Banasiak’s position on the administration’s own narrow win last year, and said the victory was more due to the fact Banasiak and Albright ran under “a good platform.”

Although he said he understands the need for the change to the election code, Albright expressed regret the old system may be lost if the GSB accepts the new regulation.

“It’s kind of been a tradition, something special that we did,” he said. “I’d hate to see it go, but I guess if people feel it’s not a fair way of determining the ballot order, then it needs to change.”