With only a week remaining before the election to fill four empty seats in Congress, only two candidates have taken the necessary steps to ensure their names make the Sept. 24 ballot.
The two candidates are Michael Spinks, a graduate student in the curriculum in folklore, and John Surface, a graduate student in the curriculum in Russian/East European studies.
If elected, both candidates on the ballot will represent District 5.
Board of Elections Chairman Brian Fauver said that because only Spinks and Surface attended a Sept. 10 interest meeting, the two remaining congressional seats must be filled using write-in votes.
"Besides the two on the ballot, anybody else choosing to run for the empty seats will have to run as a write-in candidate," Fauver said.
To get their names on the ballot, candidates needed to attend the interest meeting and gather 10 signatures from constituents, to be turned in to the elections board by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Fauver said that although he wished there were more names to put on the ballot, he still believes the election will result in a full Congress.
"We can still fill these seats using write-in votes," he said. "The fact that the Graduate and Professional Student Federation was able to find two people willing and interested on such short notice is awesome."
When Student Body President Jen Daum called the election Sept. 5, there were only three empty Congress seats. Another congressional seat was vacated Sept. 10.
