With less than two weeks until the Senate elections, the race is building up to be one of the most competitive in years. It is estimated that there will be over 100 declarations for candidacy between the major tickets and independents.
To get some quick background information on how the process works, KnightNews.com spoke with the Supervisor of Elections, Marlee Popludar, whose primary job is to oversee the election.
An unbiased employee for SGA, she explained that each college has a specific number of Senators, which is based on the population of the college. The Senators run to represent their college, as well as certain student organizations.
Once the Senators have declared their candidacy, they are officially allowed to campaign through soliciting money donations, advertising on social networking sites, and wearing or distributing materials, just to name a few.
“I hope the election runs smoothly, and everyone gets a fair chance,” Popludar said. “I’m looking forward to seeing new students run and get involved with student government.”
Popludar also stated that the deadline for potential candidates to declare was Sept. 16 at 5 P.M. So, KnightNews.com went to the SGA office, located in the Student Union, to see how the stressful, and sometimes dramatic, situation would play out.
At fifteen minutes before the deadline, groups of people had formed to put together last-minute documents and discuss any other matters. The environment was very quiet and seemed a little tense; everyone was staring at the big board posted on the wall, where, in a matter of minutes, possible candidates would declare for the race.
Then, as 5 o’clock came, people finished signing up and continued to watch what everyone else was doing. All eyes seemed to be glued to the board, as names filled up the empty slots.
As people began to disperse, KnightNews.com caught up with a few of the candidates, one being Graham Austin, a junior who is dual majoring in political science and economics. Only in his second semester at UCF, he expressed concern with not being connected enough to the campus yet to obtain a large number of votes.
“It’s going to be rough,” Austin said, “…and it’s going to cost me a lot of money.”
Similarly, Glenn Matlin, a junior economics major, knows the race will be tough. Hoping to run as an independent, Matlin said, “Nothing will go unopposed, and it’ll be a hard-fought battle for every seat.”
Another possible candidate, Shawn Gage, a senior with a double major in journalism and hospitality, seemed very happy about getting a chance to run. “Even if we lose, it’s great to be able to express democracy in action,” Gage said.
Will Lusk, a senior majoring in political science, is a current Senator for the College of Sciences and is up for re-election.
Lusk, also a member of the Sigma Pi Fraternity, commented on the effect that being Greek has on running for a seat. As he noted, only 10 percent of UCF is Greek, so he does not think that an overwhelming majority of Senate should be controlled by Greeks.
“I would like to think being Greek doesn’t matter,” Lusk said. “A lot in SGA are Greek, but I think it is a testament for their ambition and willingness to get involved on campus. It boils down to the individual [running] and if the student likes the platform.”
KnightNews.com could not reach one of the apparent ticket leaders, former Senator Jereme Pozin, for comment. Patrick Stauffer, current SGA Speaker of the Senate and apparent leader of the other ticket, declined comment until later.
Stay tuned though for full interviews with both candidates, as we expect to hear each side make its case for your vote.
There is a Senate “Meet and Greet” on Sept. 24, and the elections begin only a few days later, running from the Sept. 28 to Sept. 30.
As the day continues to approach, the race will only get more intense. Campaigning will begin in only a matter of days, so find out who will represent you best at UCF, and get out to vote!
