A total of three students sat in the audience as Hutch Williams ’08 and John Daly ’08, the unopposed candidates for the positions of FUSA president and vice president, spoke during a forum Tuesday afternoon in the Barone Campus Center.

The question on the minds of FUSA officials after Frank Fraioli ’08 withdrew from the race for president last Sunday: with two uncontested candidates at the top of the ballot, will anyone show up to vote for Senate and Class Council elections next Tuesday?

“I’m obviously concerned with only having one [presidential] candidate,” said Alexandra Ghiorzi ’09, the FUSA election commissioner. “It’s easier to have a lot of people come out [to vote] when there is a presidential race; the same thing happens in national elections.”

There are 39 Senate and Class Council postions up for grabs next Tuesday, many of which are uncontested.

Four of the nine Class Council positions and 28 of the 30 Senate seats are uncontested.

There are also five vacant Senate seats on the ballot for the class of 2008.

The Senate has thus resolved to make a concerted effort to encourage students to cast their vote, according to Senate Chair Tim Rich ’08.

The Senate will be promoting the election through advertising and by hosting a “question/answer forum” during their Sunday meeting, at which time candidates running for seats in the Senate and positions in the Class Council will be invited to speak and answer questions.

“FUSA elections have always been about turnout. In this scenario it’s even more important for candidates to get their friends and supporters out to vote,” said Rich.

Williams said that he is also concerned and has already spoken to students who expressed disinterest in the upcoming election.

“I think that this presents an issue,” he said. “I think … the presidential race draws attention to other class races.”

Williams said he thinks having a significant voter turnout is especially important in “promoting legitimacy.”

“It is important that representatives think that, ‘Yes, the majority of my class thinks I’m fit for this job,'” said Williams.

According to Williams, he Daly will now focus their campaign efforts on this component of the election.

“We’re going to make the best of it, encourage people to come out. John and I are now really trying to promote the election itself,” he said.

The two candidates have made it their campaign goal to attract a total of 1,000 voters.

The goal had been set at 1,300 before Fraioli dropped out of the presidential race.

Other concerns over the lack of competition in the FUSA election have been raised.

“I think people will still come out to vote. With the Senate and Class Councils, there are still important races,” said Junior class President Marc Hansel ’08, who is being opposed by Joey Lacroix ’08. “It concerns me more that maybe people will be less likely to take FUSA seriously if they see that no one wants to run.”

Hansel suggested that more of an effort should be made to add another name to the ballot.

“I think that they should try to find another candidate [and] extend the deadline for running,” he said.

Williams, however, said that this would be logistically impossible because of the chain of events that come immediately after the election, including the appointment of other vital FUSA positions and training week.

“It’s not doable because of the tough time clock,” he said.

Some students said they felt an obligation to vote despite the lack of competition for the top positions.

“I guess I’ll vote to show my support,” said Emily Martucci ’08. “It shows that I’m involved even though there is only one person running.”

Other students did not share this sentiment.

“I will not vote. It’s a waste of my time,” said Robert Scansaroli ’09.

“There’s no posters or anything. Last year was so big,” said Catherine Forsa ’09. “I really don’t plan on voting.”

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