SGA Presidential Tickets Use Different Methods To Reach Students

News, UCF SGA — By Cliff Jett on March 17, 2011 at 3:16 am

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Last year was a record year for UCF’s Student Government Association in many ways.

The 2010 Fall Senate elections not only experienced the fewest amount of candidates running, but also one of the lowest voter turnouts in recent UCF history.

On the heels of that embarrassing turn out, those running in the Spring SGA presidential elections have stepped up their efforts to reach out to the UCF community.

Typically, candidates participate in some form of a debate shortly before the elections, and aggressively campaign during voting. Supporters volunteer their time to talk to students during the voting period, and often bring their personal laptops to allow students to vote.

However, this year, tickets are engaging in all sorts of early campaigning, including some new techniques, ranging from social media to direct phone lines.

“While campaigning, it is our strongest hope to include as many students in the process as possible,” said Matthew McCann, who is running for SGA President.

“To us, the student voice is number one, above all else. We truly care about what students expect,” said Nicholas Gurney, the SGA Presidential candidate on the the other ticket.

McCann’s campaign launched its full website Monday, containing information about those who support the ticket, the ideas they represent, as well as some information about the candidates themselves. Gurney’s campaign plans to launch its website soon, but has first been focusing on reaching out through a grass-roots style Facebook campaign called 25 Issues in 25 Days which he launched before Spring Break. The initiative has included videos his campaign produced as well.

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Gurney & Gonzales Campaign Video: 25 Issues Explanation

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Both camps are using the now common tactic of having their supporters tag a watermark with the candidates’ logos on their Facebook profile pictures. McCann’s camp has taken this method a step further by developing a Facebook app which uploads the photos automatically and also seems to be able to remotely update a supporter’s status with messages of support.

“We were the first campaign ever to reach out in this manner and we’re very excited to already be innovating some methods of communication which students are excited about,” McCann stated, adding that Facebook “allows us to reach out in ways that students find interesting and un-intrusive.”

Outreach over Facebook is also one of the five main ways Gurney is “seeking student input,” through both his 25 Issues in 25 Days and traditional Facebook group pushing his slogan that students should “Expect More” of SGA and its leaders. The Gurney camp, keeping with the social media trend, also started a Twitter account for the ticket, as well as a direct phone line: 561-543-0267.