Associated Student Government announced its candidates for next year’s president and vice president on Saturday, signaling the official start of its annual presidential cycle.

SESP junior Katherine Conte will campaign for president with running mate and Weinberg junior Juan Zuniga. The opposing campaign’s announcement has been delayed by 24 hours due to a campaign violation.

Conte and Zuniga’s campaign will focus on immediate COVID-19 responses, expansion of relief programs and community-building from a student level.

“We’re trying to have a student-driven and really student-focused platform that addresses the needs of the moment,” Conte said. “A lot of those needs are brought up by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Each ticket has until May 2 to campaign, at which the voting period will close. The two slates will also have a debate on April 27 at 6 p.m. CST, which will be live streamed through YouTube Live.

Despite the fact that most students are away from campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current ASG president Izzy Dobbel emphasized that students should pay close attention to the presidential process.

“Going forward, it’s only going to be emergency response, it’s only gonna be the person that you trust to be in a room (with the University) always advocating for you,” Dobbel said. “It’s different than being in a comfortable spot … but now it’s, who do you want to fight for you?”

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