For the second-straight UF Student Senate meeting, Student Body President Joselin Padron-Rasines recommended Sarah Winter to be the next supervisor of elections. And for the second-straight meeting, the recommendation failed.
In what was essentially a party-line vote, the Senate voted against Winter’s approval Tuesday by a vote of 31 yes to 53 no. A two-thirds majority vote is needed for approval. Her recommendation at the May 19 meeting also failed by a vote of 29 yes to 42 no.
According to the 700 election codes, the supervisor of elections must have served as either an elections commissioner or an assistant supervisor of elections for at least one campus-wide election and must not have held a position or affiliation with any Student Government political party or independent candidate during the previous election cycle, which is one semester.
Winter served as an assistant supervisor of elections for the last three election cycles: Spring and Fall 2014 and Spring 2015.
Still, majority party leader Charlie Brown Jr. (Swamp, Agriculture) and other members of the Swamp Party said they feel Winter has a conflict of interest because she campaigned for current Swamp Party member and Judiciary Chair Jason Richards in Fall 2013, her first semester on campus.
“She has recognized that the issues are there, that she understands why we have concerns,” Brown said during the opening round of pro-con debate.
Winter said she campaigned during her first semester as a way to get involved early and has not had ties to a political party since that election cycle.
“Once you do become an (assistant supervisor of elections), you are advised at that point and you know your commitments to remaining unbiased as part of your duties that come with the position,” said Winter, who was reached by phone call during Tuesday’s meeting because she is studying abroad.
During a pro portion of the pro-con debate, minority party leader Michael Christ (Access, Graduate) and Sen. Daniella Saetta (Access, Graduate) brought to light that there have been past senators with party affiliations who went on to serve either as supervisor of elections or as an elections commissioner.
One of those from recent history is Austin Sherman. Sherman — a former Senate majority party leader, Judiciary Committee Chairman and Budget and Appropriations Committee vice chairman with the Swamp Party — was named an election commissioner for the Spring 2015 election cycle, according to Alligator archives. Sherman was eligible for the position because he was inactive for Fall 2014. His term as an elections commissioner ended Spring 2015.
“The bias doesn’t matter there, but it matters with the (supervisor of elections) who campaigned years ago? I am confused,” Saetta said.
Rules and Ethics Committee Chairwoman Maddie McClinton (Swamp, Education) echoed Brown’s sentiments and said she believes the supervisor of elections needs to be someone who has never had a party affiliation.
“(Winter) has a different mindset than someone who has not had any party affiliation with a political party,” McClinton said. “Those things do not run out of your memory.”
Christ said because there are multiple opinions spanning across the two parties, the members inside the Senate chambers will need to compromise.
“I know there are people in this body — the vast majority of people — are here on good will and want to serve the Student Body,” Christ said, “but I think it’s very easy at times to get blinded, especially after a competitive election, by partisanship in politics.”
- Padron-Rasines and Diversity Affairs Secretary Kalyani Hawaldar addressed the Senate chambers about their initiative to create gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. A committee of seven students is mapping out where all the single-use, family and unisex bathrooms are located and compiling research to present to the administration about why UF should have gender-neutral bathrooms.
- Student Senate Bill 2015-1031 Funding for Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) Equipment passed through first reading by a vote of 49-32.
- Three more student senators — two permanent senators (Sean Dunnigan, District B; and Corbin Emerson, Graduate) and one Summer C replacement senator (Kayla Malone, Graduate) — were approved. There are still six open seats in the Student Senate: One permanent seat (Lakeside), one Summer A replacement seat (Freshman) and four Summer C replacement seats (Agriculture, Graham and two Graduate).
