Elections for the Student Association Senate were postponed Wednesday night in order to attract a more diverse group of candidates.

SA Vice President Tanya Smith said the elections will be held 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 and 20. All students interested in becoming senators should pick up petitions at the SA office and return them by Sept. 17 at 4:30 p.m.

The election was postponed to insure that the SA senate is comprised of fair and diverse student representatives, Smith said.

“We want this commitment to trickle down to our executive staff, the SA senate and the NIU student body,” Smith said.

Smith said the postponement also has resulted from a lack of advertising. “We assumed the word was getting out and now we’re finding we need more advertising and PR,” Smith said.

Many organizations have not had their first meetings yet and possibly haven’t been informed of senate elections, Smith said.

The SA particularly is looking for freshmen, transfers or any student who has an interest in the student government, Smith said. Mandatory candidate orientation is Sept. 17 at 8 p.m.