It is no secret that, historically, we at the Alligator typically endorse the minority party in Student Government elections. However, given the past year of what we feel has been inconsistency, a distinct lack of transparency and flagrant immaturity from both parties, we have decided to forego firmly endorsing either Impact Party or Access Party as a whole. Instead, we aim to promote a culture of unification and accessibility, which we believe begins with the installment of online voting.
This campaign cycle has been defined by muckraking, personal attacks and upsettingly negative talking points from both parties. It seems, whether supposedly upholding The System or attempting to combat it, everyone is focusing on fighting one another rather than attending to the job at hand — leading and inspiring the UF Student Body.
So instead of an endorsement, we have decided to focus on aspects of each platform we believe will not only advance the student experience at UF, but also enhance UF’s status as a wonderful, supportive, inclusive place to attend. It is our hope that at the end of the day, regardless of party affiliation, each person in SG truly has the best interests of the UF Student Body at heart.
On paper, the platforms of both parties succeed at addressing urgent needs faced by UF attendees. Graduate students are in dire need of fee relief. UF students also need mental health initiatives, and the services offered by the Counseling & Wellness Center require expanding. It is also essential that sexual assault prevention and education become top priorities. One would be hard-pressed to find a UF student who feels otherwise, and it is no mistake that the aforementioned points are all critical to the platforms of both Access and Impact.
However, we don’t believe this alignment of values would have been possible had it not been for the emergence of Access, and thus, of discourse and debate in our Senate halls — we certainly can’t imagine the one-party (Swamp Party) system endorsing community outreach or advocating for a more inclusive campus for students with varying backgrounds. As much as each party may resent it, the platforms of both parties are objectively good. While Impact focuses on tangible change, proven SG experience and attainable, more short-term goals, the Access candidates work as a cohesive team and envision a lasting change in both campus and SG cultures. What the Student Body will decide — and what therefore decides this election — is how well-intentioned and sincere each party truly is about accomplishing its stated goals.
No matter how contentious things may get, SG elections should be about the Student Body at large. Although the nastiness seen throughout this election is the end result of a broken system and an institutionalized cutthroat culture, candidates ought to rise above and focus on what they can do to help their constituency, rather than lean on the wobbly crutches of opposition-bashing, past feuds and antiquated systems of appointments and advancements propagated by past administrations. No political party, much less a unified Student Body, can exist and thrive based solely on hatred of another. It is one thing to know what you are against, but another thing entirely to know what you stand for. Today and Wednesday we will see students decide this for themselves, but it will ultimately be those elected choosing between fighting for some Gators, or for the Gator Nation as a whole.
So, we urge you, the students who now hold all the power: Vote. Now, more than ever, your vote truly counts. Vote with your conscience, not your affiliation. Know your individual candidates, not just party stereotypes. Vote for online voting so that others, too, can have their voices heard in the future with ease. Because ultimately, the most important working parts of our Student Government that we represent and endorse are not the parties or their leaders, but the students they are supposed to be fighting for.
