The 2015 Elon University SGA Elections listed only five candidates for the four 2015-2016 executive positions.

The position of executive president was the only contested spot, with juniors Avery Steadman and Sean Barry running against each other. The positions of executive vice president (Adam Knaszak ‘16), executive treasurer (Leo Morgan ‘16) and executive secretary (Grace McDavid ‘16) remained unopposed.

The lack of candidates left many questions about why more students were not running for executive positions.

SGA candidates and members attributed the lack of students running for office to the large time commitment SGA requires.

Many times, the time commitment interferes with students who want to study abroad. To have an executive position — executive president, executive vice president, executive treasurer, executive secretary — a student needs to be on campus for three semesters because the terms run from April to April.

“A lot of students who are sophomores now and would be excellent candidates on Exec are studying abroad,” said current executive treasurer and executive presidential candidate Avery Steadman. “It’s a huge thing we have to give up to have a position.”

Current organizational development member and Love School of Business Academic Council candidate Alex Hunter said she thinks people get intimidated by the competition.

“I think SGA is a very prestigious position on campus and I think a lot of people get nervous,” Hunter said. “I think the competition aspect scares people away. We need to address that there are seats open and it is open to everyone. I think that people think that so many people are running so their chances [of winning] are lower.”

Another trend with SGA elections is low voter turnouts.

The number of students who took to the polls in 2014 decreased from 2013, with 2014 and 2206 voters, respectively.

2,014 students – just about 36 percent of Elon’s undergraduate population – voted in Spring 2014, a decrease from the 2206 students who voted in Spring 2013.

Executive President Joe Incorvia attributed the abnormally high number of voters in 2013 to the Chick-fil-A events that surrounded that year.

“It is our goal as SGA to make students aware of what we do and the impact we are able to have on Elon’s campus,” said Incorvia. “Unfortunately, that does not always result in students paying attention to what we do unless something big happens, like Chick-fil-a which preceded the elevated 2013 numbers.”

The Class of 2018, though, showed promising numbers in the fall 2014 elections. Current freshman class vice president and sophomore class vice president candidate Austin Martin said that typically 300-400 freshmen vote in SGA elections but more than 700 freshmen voted in fall 2014.

Hunter said that more candidates will increase voter turnout.

“If people are running unopposed they won’t campaign as much, so there won’t be as much awareness regarding the elections,” she said. “We do need to start with more people running, not necessarily getting more people to vote.”

With more than 50 students involved in SGA, students who are a part of it see it as a forum to make a positive change for Elon.

“SGA is a very popular voice of the students,” Martin said. “The administration respects us a lot and how we represent the student body with passion. It’s been a big part of my first semester and has helped me take pride in the school a lot more.”

For many involved students in SGA, the organization has not just been an extracurricular activity, but a way of life.

“SGA has been the single most transformative experience that I have had while at Elon,” said Incorvia. “I think when I look back over my time at Elon and realize that I never have had a Thursday without SGA I just have to laugh, because it is incredible how much I have changed since the first meeting I was at the first week of my first year at Elon.”