The Inter-Residence Hall Association is gearing up for the upcoming president and vice president elections.

Campaigning for the positions will begin March 27, and the election will be held April 4. IRHA President David Sims said this year’s election should be interesting because “students should have lots of people to chose from.”

Last year, Sims’ campaign for the presidency was uncontested.

“I seriously doubt [the race] will be uncontested,” Sims said. “I expect about three to four choices.” The slates have not been officially announced yet.

Dave Eilers, election committee chairman, said he had heard that more slates will be hitting the campaign trail this year, and it should be an exciting race.

“From what I heard, there are five different slates running so far. I think it’ll be highly contested,” said Eilers, Union Drive Association at-large representative.

The IRHA Election Committee will be working hard to increase awareness about the elections among students, Eilers said.

“There’s going to be a lot of advertising and get a lot of people involved,” he said.

Sims, who is leaving his position to be an engineering senator for the Government of the Student Body, said the presidency incorporates many different tasks.

He said the responsibilities include “being the chief administrator and representative of IRHA, presiding over the executive council and correlating goals for executive members throughout the year.”

The vice president has different roles, Sims said.

“[The vice president] runs the parliament meetings and chairs the Internal Affairs Committee, which includes the association presidents and three members from each association,” he said.

After the slates are named, there will be a debate March 27 in the Gold Room at the Memorial Union from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Alex Olson, speaker of the GSB senate, is scheduled to be the moderator.

Sims expects the candidates to field questions about a wide variety of topics.

“I would expect there will be questions about voter turnout in the elections, Hawthorn Court and how we will incorporate them in IRHA, the UDA neighborhood projection plan and the proposed university dining plan,” Sims said.

Petition packets for the presidential elections can be picked up at the Maple-Willow-Larch, Friley-Westgate and Knapp-Storms hall desks. They are due March 24.