Student Government elections for the next president and vice president are underway, but with a twist — two candidates are running as a joke. And it’s all because of some milkshakes.

Gov. Chris Ferreira of the Boca Raton campus is running for student body president —  as a last minute fill in ticket — with his executive assistant, Danielle Steven Grant, as his vice presidential choice.

It’s “a sort of parody of the system,” Ferreira said.

The two made the announcement with fewer than 36 hours left for students to vote when they released a meme over Facebook. Their slogan is “our milkshakes bring all the voters to the polls,” poking fun at Ferriera’s accomplishment as governor.

Ferreira used bringing milkshakes to Florida Atlantic’s Chick-fil-A express location as part of his platform to become student governor. He succeeded and on Jan. 11, students were welcomed to the start of spring semester by the new menu addition.

According to Ferreira, one of his motivations to run was his frustration with other candidates receiving credit for his accomplishments.

“I am hurt a little bit, to see another ticket taking credit for something they didn’t do,” Ferreira said. “I’ve heard some Edmunds/Sims supporters saying they brought milkshakes onto campus. It was definitely the governor’s cabinet that made those milkshakes come on campus.”

Incumbent Kathryn Edmunds and her running mate, Clayton Sims, began campaigning two weeks prior to the polls opening.

Michael Cairo and his running mate, Juliana Walters, started campaigning at the same time. The two are running for president and vice president respectively.

The two other candidates, Maya Clark and Laneesia Harmon, began their Facebook campaign on Feb. 10.  

“Every student has a right to run,” Edmunds said of the candidates. “And I say good luck to them as well.”

Student Government has seen decreasing voter numbers in presidential elections.

Last year, Edmunds and Casey Martin won in an uncontested election when 2.8 percent of students voted. The turnout was the lowest in the last five years.

“I think we have a pretty decent shot,” Ferreira said. “With us as a fourth ticket, we’ll probably help voter turnout.”

If they win, the pair say they would cede the election to the runner-up.

You can find last week’s Student Government presidential debate coverage here. Voting continues until Wednesday at midnight.

Gregory Cox is the managing editor of the University Press. If you would like to contact him regarding this or other stories, he can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.