Sidewalk chalk, mass BlitzMail messages and fluorescent posters will blanket the campus this weekend, when official campaigning for student elections kicks off on Saturday at midnight.
Voting will take place April 19 and 20, but for Student Body Presidential hopefuls, campaign managers have been signed on and maneuvering has been in full swing for months.
"They're probably all getting really nervous first of all, mainly about the increasing time commitment that they're going to have to dedicate to prepare their campaigns," current Student Body President Julia Hildreth '05 said.
Hildreth said that the candidates are probably strategizing with their teams, deciding how to spend their money and networking with potential supporters.
"Forming a good campaign team and talking to people is one of the main strategies at this point because actual public campaigning hasn't started," candidate Ben Waters '06 said.
Pre-campaigning has included "just going around, introducing yourself to as many people as possible, being places, being out," Waters said. "I've talked to the other candidates, we're all looking very forward to running."
Candidate Paul Heintz '06 said he started getting in touch with potential supporters well before Spring term began. He said he contacted "people who are campus leaders essentially, people who are actively involved in very different organizations, who would have a different take of what needs to be involved here at Dartmouth."
New rules set by the Elections Planning and Advisory Committee in February lower ceilings on campaign spending, change restrictions on BlitzMail messages and reduce the campaigning period from the traditional 15 days to just 10.
Campaign spending is capped at $125 for each candidate running for Student Body President or Vice President. After the first $35 out-of-pocket, the Student Assembly fills out the rest of each candidate's budget.
"Last year there was questions about people overspending or spending off budget," EPAC chair David Hankins '05 said. Candidates in this year's races will be required to use an assigned debit card and track receipts to curb spending violations.
For the first time in recent memory, candidates and their supporters will be allowed to send BlitzMail messages to an unlimited number of recipients, provided that they only contact personal acquaintances and organizations of which they belong. Recipient-suppressed messages are not allowed.
"I'm really excited about that decision from EPAC because the BlitzMail rules last year were really difficult on the candidates," Hildreth said, noting that last year's 20-recipient cap was "arbitrary."
"We thought they were tough to enforce and tough to understand," Hankins said of the old rules.
Hankins said EPAC has been working to make the rules clear before the campaigning begins so candidates do not unintentionally commit elections violations. He anticipates this year's election will be more issue-focused due to the explicit EPAC guidelines.
"It'll hopefully be one that's more interesting and enjoyable for the students," Hankins said of this year's race, "because they don't have to worry with petty bickering."
An instant run-off voting system could also keep the campaigns more positive by giving voters the opportunity to rank their choices. If no candidate wins a majority after the first round, voters who selected the last-place candidate will have their votes automatically re-allocated to their second-choices and so on, until a majority is produced.
"The campaign period last year was really intense, mainly because there were so many candidates that were really passionate and involved in [Student Assembly]," Hildreth said.
Hildreth said she predicts this year's six-man race will be equally competitive but cleaner than last year's five-way battle, when "there was a lot of pressure for someone to drop out."
But before petitions were even submitted earlier this week, at least one potential candidate was convinced to end his bid.
After collecting all 100 required signatures, Tom Monahan '06 was persuaded by Heintz to drop out of the race before submitting his petition.
Monahan said he dropped out because he and Heintz shared the same constituencies.
"[T]he voice of athletes, Greeks, and normal Dartmouth students who don't spend their weekends and evenings in college-engineered social space need to be heard in this election," Monahan said. "I think the point of me running would be to have a candidate who represents your average Dartmouth student, but with Paul running I am happy to put my vote and my voice behind him."
Heintz said he and Monahan decided it would be "fruitless" for the two to work against each other when they shared the same platform.
"I think I was more committed to the race than he was and I had invested more into it already," Heintz said. "And I'm better looking."
