Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today for Undergraduate Student Government, University Park Allocation Committee and Association of Residence Hall Students elections.

Students must vote at the designated polling sights for their living areas, said Ashante Morgan, voting and tallying elections commissioner.

Morgan said polling locations and times make it convenient for students to vote and stressed the importance of doing so.

"A lot of people complain about things," Morgan said. "The only way to get these complaints heard is to vote."

Morgan said she expects a typical turnout of about 4,500 students.

The largest turnout in USG history was in the 1992 election of Rob Kampia and Beth Schneck, with 6,526 voters. The unusual turnout was attributed to excitement created by the contrast among the three tickets' platforms.

A larger voter turnout makes student government positions more credible to the administration, said Brian Olivo, USG vice president.

"More widespread elections means more students believe in the issues and shows students are active," he said. "The administration will see this and respect the things the (USG) president and vice president present."

Olivo said this year's campaign has run smoothly and he expects a close race tonight.

"All the candidates this year seem really good. They've done creative things," he said. "There has been some platform overlap, but it shows these are important issues."

In keeping with tradition, winners will be announced in the HUB ballroom tonight around midnight.

"We'll see how crazy it's going to get," said Ed Dempsey, candidacy and campaigning elections commissioner. "In the ballroom, everyone's nervous and running around. There's a lot of cell phone calls, drunk people and people going outside to smoke a cigarette every five minutes to calm themselves down.

"It's a lot of anticipation," he said.