They haven’t appeared just yet, but they’re coming soon.
Blue and orange Swamp Party campaign stickers will cover nearly every inch of this campus and its inhabitants within the next three weeks.
UF Student Senate slating, the process of selecting candidates to run for senator positions, took place Sunday through Tuesday of this week. There are five registered parties students can run under, but only one party chose to campaign for Senate slating, and only one major party will be on the ballot: the Swamp Party.
As of Sunday, 11 students qualified for Student Senate seats, and all of them slated with the Swamp Party. Even the possibility of having only one party on the ballot is absolutely ridiculous.
A one-party election would call into question the supposedly democratic nature of Student Government elections. This de facto one-party rule also begs the question: Why are no other parties asserting themselves as valid political contenders?
The Swamp Party started in Fall 2012 after the Unite Party crumbled. When the Swamp Party formed, it took credit for policies enacted by the Unite Party such as Library West staying open 24 hours a day, five days a week.
If the Swamp Party wants to take credit for the accomplishments of Unite, it must also answer for the party’s past controversies. These incidents include leaked recordings of Unite Party members discussing intimidation tactics to secure more votes.
In 2013, an email sent by a Swamp Party liaison Leah Miller to fraternity house representatives asked for a $250 check made out to the Swamp Party and the collection of “I Voted” stickers from its brothers. The email concluded with a request that the email be deleted. Sketchy, to say the least.
Yet the Swamp Party has certainly enacted a number of praiseworthy policies on campus.
The tablet initiative in Spring 2013, which began iPad rentals to students from Library West, was a positive measure. Swamp Party’s Spring 2014 platform included noncontroversial items such as ensuring low tuition and working with the Student Health Care Center to develop an online process for making appointments.
Even if the Swamp Party’s positions are mostly benign and in the best interest of UF students, Gators deserve the choice to vote for candidates from more than just one party.
In Fall 2012, the Swamp Party held 35 seats in Student Senate and the Student Party held 15 seats. In Fall 2013, the Swamp Party held 48 seats in Student Senate and the Student Party held two. In Spring 2014, the Swamp Party claimed all 50 seats. In Spring 2014, the Swamp Party candidates for president and vice president were unopposed.
The Swamp Party has gained so much power that it seems nearly impossible to challenge. But something must be done. If the UF Student Body really wants to be “Together for Tomorrow” like Swamp Party’s motto claims, it needs an electoral process that offers students a real choice.
Having only one party on the ballot also discourages voter turnout by guaranteeing a winner before the election even begins. Gators should feel connected to and responsible for their representatives in Student Government, not apathetic and distant.
The dominance of the Swamp Party is not ideal for UF or for the ideals of democracy and diversity that the university claims to cherish.
Challenging the Swamp Party will require strong organization from other student parties and dedicated candidates who believe they can make an impact.
One party ruling UF betrays the Student Government’s mission to “represent and act in the interests of students.”
The unquestioned dominance of the Swamp Party has gone on long enough. It’s time to give UF students a real choice.
Lindsay Alexander is a UF journalism sophomore. Her columns appear on Wednesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 9/10/2014 under the headline "Time to end Swamp Party dominance"]
