We’ve finally come to the end of a long, hard-fought campaign, defined by multiple episodes of political intrigue and the strongest resurgence of the opposition since 1999.
In contrast to last Fall’s election, where only one Senate seat could have feasibly gone to an opposition candidate, this one was competitive right up to the highest positions in Student Government. Tuesday night saw the highest voter turnout ever. For the first time in three years, UF hosted elections that could be considered fair and contested.
The 2015 Student Government election results are in. Access Party has won.
We congratulate Access on its victory, and we’d like to thank every student who participated, campaigned or voted for either party.
But our gratitude belongs to the voters, especially — y’all are the ones responsible for making this historic change.
That this election received the turnout it did deserves its own recognition and pride.
An Access victory was the best chance the Student Body had of freeing itself from Swamp domination. We’re glad to see the Student Body finally mobilized and threw off the burden of one-party dictatorship.
Access stands in a position with enormous potential. While we look forward to seeing the changes this will bring to SG, keep in mind this election wasn’t a one-time deal to determine the future of SG permanently. The results of this election will be valid for a year, at most. Access may have succeeded in its electoral campaign, but the fight for its cause is just beginning.
If Access is truly going to bring change to SG, the party needs to stay sharp. Winning the election is getting a foot in the door. What matters now is how Access holds up in the months and semesters to come.
It’s going to be difficult — Access doesn’t just have the business of running a government to worry about. We predict titanic resistance and opposition from sitting and newly elected Swamp senators and from their supporters and allies in the Student Body at large.
Swamp Party has proven it will do anything within its means to hold its grip on power. It would be naïve to think anything different now that its preeminence has been taken.
Through all of the trials to come, we hope Access keeps true to the ideals that brought the party to victory. We urge Access to embody its standards of honesty, transparency and inclusiveness — standards SG has desperately needed.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/26/2015 under the headline “Access Party wins but work has just begun”]
