Since Thursday's column about the validity of voting for revenge, I've gotten the chance to speak to Erik Voss. I was able to impress upon him my regret at having never heard about the comments posted on his Facebook. After a long day of trying to figure out what exactly happened, a friend of mine came forward and acknowledged that it was he who, after one-too-many drinks, left the aforementioned note on Voss's Facebook one evening while I was still logged in. He has since apologized to Voss and me.
Ah, the perils of politics in the Internet age!
Let me take this chance to say further that this election is one of the most important ones to face the student body in a long time. Our current financial crisis threatens the student body's education and wallets, putting more importance on making sure the money we give to SG is spent properly.
Who we elect to govern impacts our community as a whole. Therefore, the act of voting transcends self-interest and becomes a civic duty as our actions affect the student body at large.
Elections are what we rely on in a democratic system. Every citizen is entrusted with the well being of the society we live in.
In order to fulfill our duty to that society, we vote.
At UF, our ballots determine to whom the $14 million collected from the students is given to; they determine who represents the student body on the board of trustees, and most importantly, your ballots determine the people that are charged with having your best interests in mind, whether it's in the Senate or in the Executive Branch.
So when you vote, you are expressing your will to have your choice of candidate represent the entire student body. Do you really want that decision to be made based on selfish whims?
Revenge shouldn't be a motivation for voting, especially when misinformation is the only evidence for it. Your vote should be an expression of how you would see your government run. To make that decision based on reasons that don't pertain to the functioning of Student Government is tantamount to telling the student body you care about your personal grudges more than true issues that separate the candidates.
