Campaigns for the Georgetown University Student Association senate kicked off on Tuesday, with 56 students vying for 25 open spots this academic year. Two districts have no declared candidates and five districts are uncontested.

In the race, first-year districts are some of the most competitive. Village C West has six declared candidates competing for one spot while New South has eight students vying for that dorm’s seat.

“The freshmen dorms are usually much more competitive. This year is another example of that trend,” GUSA Election Commissioner Adam Giansiracusa (SFS ’12) said.

No students are running for the Henle 1-48 district, and the off-campus district only has two declared candidates for three spots. According to Giansiracusa every election in recent memory has had open seats at voting time.

“Typically, it’s the upperclassmen dorms that are less competitive,” Giansiracusa said.

When no one is running for a seat, there exists a possibility that, like in any district, a write-in candidate can win. However if no one is elected to a seat, the senate then issues a writ of election to hold a by-election, Giansiracusa said.

“It’s the same process we use if a senator resigns or if something happens during the year,” he said.

Jay Factor (COL ’14), who lives in the Henle 1-48 district, said that he was not sure how a write-in candidate would fare in the election.

“I would kind of just pick someone I know from our neighbors, unless someone ran an actual campaign,” he said. “Maybe I’ll run.”

Candidates in contested districts are working to rally support for their platforms before the election on Sept. 29. Max Gottlieb (COL ’14), a current senator who is running for re-election, expressed high hopes for GUSA in the upcoming term.

“I believe we have a great, fantastic opportunity that other GUSA members and GUSA bodies have not had to really make a huge difference — not just for our generation, but for future Georgetown students’ experiences,” he said.

Hoya Staff Writers Mariah Byrne, Kelly Church and Braden McDonald contributed to this report.