As voting time draws closer, the Student Government Association’s online campaigning continues with a virtual version of the town hall debate.

Candidates for both the executive and legislative branches of the SGA were asked to respond to five questions prepared by the East Tennessean. The questions ranged from how the candidates represented the student body to more specific questions about the role SGA would play in student success if the COVID-19 pandemic were to continue to affect classes in the fall semester. 

Candidate responses can be found on SGA’s website.

There are currently two presidential candidates: Nathaniel Vernon and Shivam Patel; three executive vice-presidential candidates: Seth Manning, Elizabeth Thacker and Roseanne Smith; and two candidates for the Executive Vice President of Administration position: Darshan Shah and Josie Ward.

There are also 11 candidates running for seven open seats in the College of Arts and Sciences, three candidates running for five open seats in the College of Business and Technology, seven candidates running for two open seats in the College of Public Health and two candidates running for a seat in the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.

The Clemmer College of Education, the College of Nursing, the School of Continuing Studies and Academic Outreach, and Undeclared Students currently have open seats with no candidates running.

Candidates will also create and share campaign videos ahead of voting. Executive candidates will have minute-long videos, while candidates for the senate will have 30-second videos. Candidates running as a ticket will have the option to make a 3-minute video together instead of minute-long individual videos. Those candidate videos will become available for viewing on April 7.

Voting officially opens to students on April 8 and will close on the evening of April 9, giving students two days to cast their ballots. Voting will take place online on ETSU’s voting website, and results will be shared with students on April 10.

For more information on SGA elections and the candidates, visit SGA’s elections webpage.