By Zack Sampson, News Staff

The Student Government Association (SGA) passed a new direct elections manual Monday, setting up a system of slates for the 2012 campaign season.

Senators gave students the power to directly elect the SGA Executive Vice President (EVP) in October, but had yet to decide if the EVP would run independently or on a ticket with a candidate for president. The new system resolves this issue, allowing candidates to run on a one- or two-person slate. It will provide students with an opportunity to vote for individuals regardless of their slates.

“It’s the best way to give students the most options and the most information,” SGA Elections Chair Taylor Cotter said.

The amended direct elections manual includes a section entirely dedicated to the new format.

“A slate consists of up to one presidential candidate and one executive vice president candidate running on the same platform,” it reads. “Each candidate is given the option, but is not required, to share a slate with a candidate for a different office.”

Each slate will have $500 to campaign. There will be no difference in funding between one- and two-person slates.

When senators debated direct election for the EVP in October, they spent much of the time discussing whether or not candidates would run on a ticket with a presidential candidate. With the association split on this topic, Cotter said the Elections Committee “knew there had to be a compromise made,” so they implemented the slate model as a flexible option.

SGA President Mike Sabo said part of the decision process involved an examination of how other schools in the area – Boston University, Boston College and Tufts University – run elections. He said this examination further confirmed that the new model was a good option because the other schools are “very successful running with slates” like the ones Northeastern’s SGA will present next spring