Elections to staff the Student Senate are being held in Coleman Hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Tuesday.

Those interested in voting to elect senators to serve in the spring semester must present their Panther card upon casting their ballot, which will take the form of a Scantron. No prior registration is required. A total of 28 candidates are running for 22 available senate seats, along with three candidates who hope to fill the executive position of vice president of business affairs.

In the past, the December elections have garnered little campus interest, said Student Body President Michelle Murphy, who discredits low voter turnout with unfavorable weather and a collective lack of awareness as to the functions of Student Government.

“It’s a matter of student representation,” said Murphy. “It’s about who you want. Otherwise, you have no say in Student Government or the university.”

Murphy said a turnout of 10 percent or about 1,200 students indicates adequate participation, but a few hundred are the most who ever partake in the process.

Erica Whelan can be reached at 581-7942 or elwhelan@eiu.edu.