As many had predicted, last night saw the Impact Party emerge victorious in the Spring 2016 election. The ascension of the Impact Party comes after what may have been one of the most insufferable Student Government election cycles in UF’s history, with few of the involved parties (no pun intended) emerging unscathed or without blemish. Keeping the utter insanity of the last week in mind, we’re relieved to see the election draw to a close.
At the risk of sounding like many a UF parent, we’re not mad about the results…just disappointed. We don’t get it: Following our own editorial on The System — which itself was just the latest in a long lineage of Alligator editorials, articles and columns on the subject — the virality of the #NotMySystem movement had us momentarily convinced that yes, finally, something had changed in the collective psyche of the Student Body. Regardless of her motivations and ignoring the video’s near-comical, over-dramatic flair, Sabrina Philipp’s onscreen confession to aiding and abetting The System seemed to have struck a real chord with students. What’s more, the story was picked up by national outlets, with Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and — groan — Total Frat Move all reporting on the video and the subsequent reactions. We’re too bewildered to be truly angry about last night’s results, but it’s possible that maybe, just maybe, we get the Student Government we deserve.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as the referendum on online voting was successfully affirmed. We feel now, as we did then, that incorporating online voting into SG elections is a no-brainer that has been long overdue. Online voting enables students who are studying abroad or interning in a different state to have a palpable say in SG without going through the absentee ballot process. Online voting gives a voice to those who may not have known they had one, you know, like a real democracy.
With the election thankfully behind us, it is our hope that SG can now move forward in a constructive, unifying manner. Although the powers that be have reminded us that they never truly left, with online voting and an increased awareness of their dealings, perhaps The System can find a way to operate in a populist fashion.
SG elections aren’t JUST a popularity contest: These young men and women are our future leaders, policymakers and, conceivably, great thinkers. What they learn about campaigning and representation here carries over into the “real” world upon graduation — whether this is a good thing, we’re reserving our judgments. We extend our congratulations to the new iteration of SG, and look forward to seeing them act in service of the Gator Nation, not the Gator Boardroom.
