Although national parties are knee-deep in campaigning, UF’s Student Government election season is just getting started.
Today is the deadline to register a political party for the Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 elections. The Students Party and new Swamp Party have already registered.
Swamp Party spokesman Sen. Daniel Landesberg was elected as a Unite Party senator in the Fall 2011 elections, but he said he felt the needs of the Student Body were not being addressed.
This is not a name change for the Unite Party, he said, but a new party that stands for “fair and proper representation of constituents and commitment for straightforward, no-nonsense government.”
Students Party President and Sen. Ford Dwyer said although the new elections codes restrict campaigning, the process of selecting qualified candidates is still the same.
“We welcome the best students on campus,” he said.
Fifty new senators will be chosen to represent their constituents. However, before anyone can cast a ballot, prospective candidates need to qualify for their positions.
Students must meet certain qualifications before they can run for Student Senate, and provide documentation of residency for the district they seek to represent.
During Fall elections, senators are elected to represent all of the residence halls on campus and five off-campus districts. Proof of residency can be in the form of an original copy of a utility bill or lease.
Qualifying goes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Friday in room 284 of the Reitz Union. The qualifying period ends Tuesday.
Students who are qualified can then choose if they want to run with a particular political party or as independent senators.
The political parties can interview as many students as they want but can only choose 50 candidates to slate. Independent candidates do not need to be interviewed.
Slating starts Friday on the second floor of the Reitz Union and ends Tuesday.
During an informational meeting held Tuesday with students interested in the elections, Supervisor of Elections Stephen Davis informed everyone of election codes, including the proper way to register a political advertisement and where and when campaigning can take place.
Campaigning, which is the intentional action of supporting or opposing a candidate or party, starts Sept. 27.
Davis reminded everyone at the meeting to campaign fairly and ethically.
Contact Samantha Shavell at sshavell@alligator.org.
