The filing deadline to run for a UT Student Government position closed Tuesday at noon, but the possibility of a deadline extension remains on the table.

Candidates for the 112th Session of the SG Assembly were able to start campaigning yesterday at midnight. However, due to some positions left empty, the filing deadline for positions may be extended.

“(An extension) is totally under the jurisdiction of the Election Supervisory Board,” said Maddie Huerta, one of the current assembly’s speakers. “Each college is allotted a certain number of representative positions. For example, business — because of their population, they get three positions, but as of yesterday only one person had signed up to run. There are quite a few colleges and then the University-wide positions that not even the minimum number of people have signed up.”

Huerta, a business senior, said there is typically a big rush of people filing last minute before the deadline, so some positions may have been filled since she previously checked. But she believes there are still quite a few unfilled positions. Huerta said SG has been trying to reach out to organizations and encourage students to run
for positions.

According to the most recent document on the ESB website, as of Tuesday evening, no students had filed to run for the at-large graduate position or the representative positions for schools of architecture, business, education, graduate school, geosciences, law, medical school, nursing, pharmacy, public
affairs and social work. 

There were seven candidates running for president and vice president. This document did not yet reflect students who filed last minute right before the noon deadline. Filing for campus-wide elections was open from Jan. 16 to Feb. 13.

ESB Chair Jennifer Valdez said the board would meet Tuesday evening to determine if the filing deadline needed to be extended. It would also be decided if the voting dates would be extended as well to give candidates more time to campaign.

“In the event that there is no one running for a specific college or a specific election, ESB will extend the deadline for those particular groups,” said Valdez, a government senior. “We’ll make the announcement by (Wednesday) morning before noon. The deadline would be extended for three days.”

Valdez said some candidates who already filed may be disqualified if they didn’t show up to the mandatory candidate seminar yesterday evening, so that will also play a role in the decision of whether or not to extend the filing deadline and for what groups it will be extended.

“We hope people go and file,” Valdez said. “If you’re not going to file, then at least go vote. We want as many people as possible to come out and vote
and participate.”

As of midnight on Tuesday, candidates were officially allowed to announce they’re running and begin their campaigns. Candidates have two weeks to campaign and then voting takes place from 8 a.m. Wednesday Feb. 28 to 5 p.m. March 1.

“Typically, every candidate has their own kickoff party (at midnight),” said Cameron Maxwell, SG external financial director. “Last year, with Alejandrina and Micky, we did a kickoff party on campus at midnight to bring in the electricity. (Candidates will) also drop all of their fliers on social media.”

Maxwell said SG was working to have a joint midnight campaign kickoff, but typically candidates, especially for the presidential race, hold their own.