Student government elections are nearly underway as the two-week period to turn in applications ends this morning.

Associated Students of the University of Arizona officials will announce candidates appearing on the primary elections ballot Friday.

Jordan Miller, the ASUA election commissioner, said 45 application packets have been picked up. If all the packets are turned in complete by 9 a.m., those 45 students will vie for 13 executive positions: president, executive vice president, administrative vice president and 10 senators.

The number of applicants is higher this year than the past two years, said Miller, a business administration and marketing senior.

"I think there's a lot more awareness," she said.

Efforts to advertise the open positions in ASUA included advertising in the Arizona Daily Wildcat, displaying ASUA banners on the UA Mall and contacting club presidents through a Listserv, Miller said.

ASUA officials also tried getting the word out in person by visiting larger clubs and Greek Life open meetings, Miller said.

But Miller said most people get interested in elections because they are somehow already involved with student government or know people who are.

"Word of mouth is the best form of advertising for any product or company," Miller said. "The same goes for ASUA."

The UA community will get a chance to meet this year's candidates Wednesday, the first official day of campaigning, on the UA Mall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

After primary elections Feb. 21, the final number of candidates will be narrowed down to two candidates for president, two for executive vice president, two for administrative vice president and 20 for senators.

Voting for both primary and general elections will be done through Student Link, which can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet.

Djibril Ba, an electrical engineering sophomore, said he would vote in the upcoming elections, adding that ASUA officials should focus most of their efforts on resolving problems with class availability.

However, Ba said he thinks that most people who complain about things on campus never really do anything about it.

"If you're the president, you have to be trusted by the people you work with," Ba said. "It's a big task. It requires a lot of hard work and honesty."

"It would be nice to see where the candidates stand," Ba said.

ASUA has planned a "candidate showcase" Feb. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. near the James E. Rogers Circle in front of the Student Union Memorial Center, Miller said. During the showcase, candidates will speak to an audience of students and discuss their platform.

There is no cap that limits how many times one person can be elected to the same office.

For those who didn't fill out a campaign application for senator or executive positions, it is still possible to make it to the general elections ballot if a write-in candidate receives 300 votes for senator, 400 votes for VP or 500 votes for president during the primaries.