For the second year in a row, posters were hung in the Price and Student centers prior to the legal campaigning season to hold the place of candidates’ campaign posters.

Members from the Unity and Students First! slates replaced posters advertising organizations such as Queer People of Color and 703 Productions with campaign posters promoting their slate and candidates. Campaigning legally began at 8 p.m. on March 30.

According to A.S. election bylaws, such practices are not technically illegal but do raise questions about campaign ethics. The controversial issue first arose last year and has not been addressed in the A.S. election bylaws.

Candidates that partook in the poster-switching process said that the strategic poster-hanging spaces were at a premium, and that they couldn’t afford to miss out on those spaces.

“”We don’t necessarily like to do it, but it was done last year and it is unfortunately part of the elections,”” said A.S. Presidential candidate Jeremy Gallagher of the Unity Slate. “”We want to succeed.””

Unity is not the only slate that has engaged in these practices this year.

“”We did not want to do it, but we saw others doing it and wanted to be able to compete,”” said Students First! A.S. Presidential candidate Kevin Shawn Hsu. “”We would prefer to ask the student organizations for their poster space after they were through, however.””

Other candidates expressed their opposition to these campaign tactics, saying they were unfair.

“”The People’s Parking Party is not going to take part in the shady practices of the political machines,”” said independent A.S. presidential candidate Bryan Barton.

Barton is technically slated as an Independent, but is representing an informal coalition called the People’s Parking Party.

“”We want to win fair and square and hope that the slates feel the same way. Let’s let the voters decide,”” he said.

Barton was not alone in his opposition.

“”I despise and detest these actions of the other candidates,”” said New Students First of the Unity Action Parking Wave Slate A.S. presidential candidate Bryan Uiga after witnessing Unity slate members replace “”703 Productions”” posters with their own posters after the official campaign began.

A.S. Elections Manager Robin Shelton declined comment on the matter.