The packed 2008 presidential election has met its match.

A crowded Vanderbilt Student Government presidential field emerged Tuesday, as three candidates gathered in Wilson Hall to declare their intention to run.

The tickets will compete until the primary elections Jan. 29, when the field will narrow to two teams.

Every member of the five-person VSG Executive Board, with the exception of the current student body president and executive vice president, will run for president this year.

Junior Jared Anderson, current speaker of the Senate, has chosen to run with junior Courtney Holliday, director of publicity and an Arts and Science Council representative.

Junior Reid Simon, current speaker of the House, will run with junior Randall Norman, Tower I president.

Chief of Staff Joseph Williams, also a junior, will run with Wyatt Smith, a sophomore who serves as Peabody senator.

The candidates are not allowed to speak about the race or their platforms until campaigning begins next Tuesday after their second candidate meeting. They must gather 200 signatures from full-time undergraduates before then in order to continue.

Attorney General Andrew Gossett explained campaign rules and regulations to the candidates at the first meeting. For example, they may not spend more than $500 on their campaigns, and candidates may not go door-to-door or use organization listservs to promote their platforms. They may post just one poster on any campus bulletin board and cannot decorate dorm windows.

Candidates also may not engage in negative campaigning. Campaign materials should not even mention the other tickets, Gossett said. Any general election debates must remain positive, he said, and personal attacks will not be tolerated.

Violation of any campaign regulations will result in disqualification from the race.