When a student referendum cut the number of Undergraduate Council members nearly in half, some predicted hotly contested elections with veteran council members battling to keep their seats.

But with the deadline for candidacy petitions fast approaching, council representative races do not appear to be any more competitive than in the past.

Petitions from students running for council representative are due today at 5 p.m.

But yesterday morning, Dudley House had no candidates and Kirkland House only had candidates for two of three positions. Adams, Dunster, Leverett, Mather, Pforzheimer and Winthrop Houses and all three first-year districts had competitive races.

In Cabot, Currier, Eliot, Lowell and Quincy Houses, there were as many candidates as representative slots yesterday. There were 67 people in total running for the 48 slots available on the council.

The candidates for this year's posts will be the first to hold office on a council downsized by a ballot initiative passed during last year's presidential elections. The initiative to slash the size of the council from 90 to 50 members won overwhelmingly.

Backers hoped the initiative would make council races more competitive and council members more accountable to their constituents. In several Houses, candidates ran unopposed last year.

The new, smaller size of the council will make it more accountable regardless of voter turnout, Driskell said.