About 80 students qualified and slated for Student Government elections on Friday in the Reitz Union, a larger turnout than the first day of qualifying and slating in Spring 2012.
Last year, 48 students qualified on the first day.
Prospective candidates must qualify to be able to run for a Student Senate seat. Parties can interview, or slate, candidates who wish to run with their party.
Students Party Vice President Grier Ferguson said 19 students slated with her party on Friday.
“Based on today’s turnout, I think Monday and Tuesday will be good days,” she said.
Ferguson said about 20 to 30 people slated with the party in Spring 2012.
UF international studies freshman Anjali Goswami, 19, presented her Gator 1 ID to qualify for a seat in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to represent the Students Party.
“I just really believe that Students Party has a platform that represents students like me,” she said.
Swamp Party spokesman Elliot Grasso said about 50 to 60 students slated with the party on Friday.
He said the turnout was similar to Fall 2012.
Grasso said a diverse range of students, including transfer students and students with military backgrounds, slated with the Swamp Party.
“We’re gonna have a good group,” he said.
Business freshman Andrew Babcock said he qualified for a sophomore seat to make an impact on the Student Body.
Babcock, 19, said he slated with Swamp Party because he felt that they were better qualified for leading the students.
Qualifying will continue today and Tuesday in Room 284 in the Reitz Union from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Students can interview with both parties but must choose one and inform Supervisor of Elections Stephen Davis before qualifying ends.
Each party can interview as many students as it wants, but the party can only choose 50 candidates, for the 50 senate seats, to slate on the ticket
Students running as independents don't have to be interviewed.
Contact Colleen Wright at cwright@alligator.org.
