"It works. There are lots of (changes) to it that will make elections run better," said South Halls Senator Megan Turnbull.

"Some problems we can never foresee, but we addressed the complications that arose last year," she added.

Under the new code, stricter penalties will be imposed on candidates who begin campaigning too early, libel or slander other candidates, send unsolicited e-mail or post World Wide Web sites with no password.

The new penalties also apply to those who go over the campaign spending limit, which was lowered from $800 to $600 in the code, she said.

Candidates can now be disqualified from the election for these violations, Turnbull said.

Flyer violation penalties, which were prevalent in last year’s election, will be reduced because the fines were excessive for a minor offense that is hard to prove, she said.

Representation will remain the same, except for the removal of the fraternity senate seat and addition of one town seat.

Town senator positions will now be open to fraternities, which should allow the fraternities greater representation, Turnbull said.

Currently, there is one senator position per 1,200 students in each on-campus residential area, one for every 1,200 students in town and one fraternity seat.

A system of representation based on a fixed number of seats in each area and the addition of six at-large senators had been favored by some members.

At-large senators would either represent the whole campus or make rotations representing each residence area.

"At-large positions would increase competition, which would make for better candidates," Senate President John Wood said.

A fixed number of senators would also eliminate the need to readjust the number of representatives based on student population each year, a task that is often neglected, East Halls Senator Andrew Seelig said.

USG President Caroline Casagrande said she will most likely approve the new code.

"They have worked pretty hard on it, I hope it’s good and will help things run more smoothly," she said. "I’m always for a fair election."