With Student Government election season wrapping up, it is not news to anybody that SG elections are less than earnest.
In all of the elections I have witnessed during my time at UF, I never doubted whether the Gator or Unite Party would carry the day and continue to maintain the status quo at UF.
This is not due to a lack of effort from opposition parties but rather to the way elections are carried out at UF.
As long as students compete head-to-head in single-seat districts, 20 percent of the population will get the chance to dictate what the remaining 80 percent must live with.
If seats were apportioned through a more proportional system, electoral minorities would see
substantial increases in representation.
If the Student Senate would pool all of the seats everybody would have a better chance to have their voices heard, regardless of the questionable election tactics of the Unite Party.
Until reforms to the system are enacted, it is essentially a guaranteed majority for the Unite Party. In the meantime, opposition parties (or independent coalitions) should start figuring out how they can coerce the non-Greek community at UF into voting for them.
