Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) kicked off their elections with the start of the nomination period Jan. 24, which will run to Jan. 28.

During the first week of elections, students can find potential candidates collecting signatures in the Unicentre in an effort to secure a nomination.

According to chief electoral officer Allister McCabe, there are designated locations where students can campaign, specifically the Unicentre Atrium and first floor as well as the tunnels.

However, McCabe said students cannot campaign near CUSA services, business centers, classrooms, and in residence unless they receive permission from a residence fellow.

In order to secure a nomination, candidates for council positions require twice the amount of signatures as the number of seats in their faculty, McCabe said.

The six executive positions require a total of 100 signatures each.

Those who receive all of the required signatures will be allowed to move on to campaigning, he said.

The official campaign period is scheduled to start Feb. 2 and run until Feb. 8, according to the CUSA elections website.

Last year, 29 councillor candidates were disqualified after the chief electoral officer ruled they submitted fraudulent receipts.

This year, McCabe said CUSA is ensuring candidates sign their own budgets to ensure a fair election.

“We’re making sure that we have clear communication between all the candidates and the elections office,” he said. “We want to make sure that everyone has a fair chance at this election.”

“We do have an open door policy, so if any candidate is unaware or unsure of any rulings or anything they are about to do, they can come in and talk to us,” McCabe said.

Executive debates are planned for Feb. 3 and 7, McCabe said.

CUSA is a big part of student life at Carleton, president Alex Sirois said, because of the role they play on campus with their nine service centres, four businesses and the campaigns they run.

Elections are scheduled to end with voting Feb. 9 and 10, according to the CUSA website.

Sirois said he thinks it’s important students get out and vote.

“There’s just a lot on campus going on that CUSA does fight for: students and student rights on campus,” he said.