Today will be full of campaigning, as it is the first day of the Student Association Senate elections.

“Senate elections are usually pretty smoothly run, they’re not as hyped up as executive elections in the spring,” SA vice president Jaime Garcia said.

The election will be held in three different locations around campus: the turnaround at the Holmes Student Center, the first floor of DuSable Hall and the entrance to Founders Memorial Library. Each polling place will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

In order to vote for the Student Senate, students must have their student ID present. Each student is allowed to vote for up to eight candidates from any district they wish.

According to the SA Elections Policy, if a student wishes to vote, but is on leave from NIU or studying away from campus, he or she may do so. However, it is their responsibility to notify the Elections Commissioner and request the correct materials for absentee voting.

DeKalb is split up into five districts. According to the SA Web site, the first district is comprised of students that live outside DeKalb and east of the Kishwaukee River. The second

district is composed of students living north of the DeKalb city limits, south of Lucinda Avenue, east of the Kishwaukee River and west of Annie Glidden Road, excluding University Plaza.

District three includes students living within the boundaries of north, south and west DeKalb city limits, east on the border of the Kishwaukee River, Lucinda Avenue and Annie Glidden Road. This also includes Suburban Apartments and Suburban Estates.

The last two districts, four and five, consist of resident housing. The fourth consists of Stevenson and Grant Towers and Douglas Hall. District five consists of Neptune and Lincoln Halls and University Plaza.

Each district has a number of candidates, but only eight from each district may hold office in the senate. If there are fewer than eight candidates in a district, then the remaining seats may be filled by anyone within that district, Garcia said.

In order to fill in those positions, a student must attend the first senate meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.

The polling places will be open again Wednesday during the same time and at the same places.

Once the polls close Wednesday, the ballots will be tallied and the student senators will be announced Friday.