The clock is counting down to the official start of student government elections, which will begin early tomorrow morning.

The 27 Associated Students of the University of Arizona candidates, who were announced Friday night, can officially begin campaigning at 4 a.m. tomorrow. A “”Meet the Candidates”” expo will follow their morning runs at 11 a.m. on the UA Mall.

The number of students in the running marks a decline from last year, when 33 candidates vied for election as president, executive vice president, administrative vice president and 10 senatorial positions.

The number of applications completed by Thursday’s deadline was a little more than half of the 45 applications that were picked up, said Jordan Miller, the ASUA elections commissioner.

“”There was a lot of initial interest,”” Jordan Miller said. “”I think (that) was because of all the press, positive or negative, that ASUA was getting.””

Miller said students might not have turned in the packets because of the time commitment involved in campaigning for ASUA.

“”Running is difficult. Maybe in this year’s packets, it appeared as strenuous as it actually is,”” Miller said.

At least three people are running for each position, which differs from last year, when acting Student Body President Erin Hertzog ran unopposed for the executive vice president seat.

Hertzog is one of seven current or former elected officials who are running for office, up from three last year.

“”Hopefully (the election will) be the main thing going on campus,”” Hertzog said.

Candidates needed between 300 and 500 student signatures as endorsements to qualify. Miller said the signatures were verified by permanent staff before the candidates were announced Friday.

At Friday’s mandatory meeting, Miller briefed candidates on campaign ethics, regulations and the timeline for this year’s election season.

Election regulations limit not only where candidates can place posters and campaign on and off campus, but also strictly regulate candidates’ political speech on the Internet and Web sites like facebook.com and www.MySpace.com.

All off-campus campaigning and campaign Web sites require approval by the elections commissioner.

After the primary elections Feb. 20 and 21, there will be two candidates each in the running for the administrative and both executive positions.

Because less than 20 students filled out applications for senatorial positions, all 17 candidates are expected to move on to the general elections. Last year there were 21 candidates for senate, leaving all but one after the primaries.

All candidates running for executive or administrative positions have had prior ASUA experience or are currently involved in student government, whereas seven of 17 senatorial candidates have had no student government experience.

“”People who have served in ASUA know that it’s worth the time commitment,”” Miller said.

Sen. Jami Reinsch said being dedicated is a good asset in any successful campaign, but her prior experience could give her an advantage.

“”It depends on how passionate you are and how much appeal you have to the student body,”” Reinsch said. “”It helps being on the inside first.””

Sen. Rhonda Tubbs, who is running for executive vice president, said prior experience in ASUA might help her reputation, but she said she didn’t think it would be a deciding factor in the upcoming elections.

General elections are March 7 and 8.