High on the list of Student Government’s priorities: Spring Break and Spring elections.
The UF SG Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill to change the date of the Spring SG election at a meeting on Sunday morning. It moves the election from Feb. 26 and 27 to Feb. 19 and 20, according to the bill. Students will elect Student Body executives and 50 senators from colleges and grades.
The change was made because runoffs must take place the week after the initial election, but this would conflict with UF’s Spring Break from March 2 to 9, SG Senate Judiciary Chairman Will Sandifer said.
The SG constitution, which outlines the rules for the governing body, also mandates that elections take place the last Tuesday and Wednesday of February, Sandifer said. Because the date of the election is written into the rules of the governing body, a bill needs to be brought before the Senate to change it.
A similar change has been needed in Spring elections over the past two years, Sandifer said.
“We just have to move it,” Sandifer said.
The changes will not affect the length of the SG election cycle, SG Supervisor of Elections Henry Fair, who wrote the bill to change the dates, wrote in an email.
“I made the decision that provides the opportunity for the most students to participate in the election and be in line with the SG constitution,” Fair said.
Contact Gillian Sweeney at gsweeney@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @gilliangsweeney
