They're back. Equipped with new fliers, slogans, T-shirts and platforms, Student Government parties are back en masse and yearning for our votes. Every fall and spring semester, UF students are overwhelmed by party volunteers and ads trying to swing every Gator's vote.
Unfortunately, most of the time these pleas fall on deaf ears. Last spring, 8,129 total ballots were cast for student candidates and referendum questions.
This number may sound like an impressive amount of voters, but let's put it in context. The UF Office of Institutional Planning and Research reports that more than 51,000 students attend UF. This means about 16 percent of UF students use their right to vote for their student representatives.
As the state's flagship institution, this is simply unacceptable. Even if students feel disconnected in relation to the local, state or national legislative system, the same should not be true for how they feel about their school.
There are two reasons why you should go out to the polls on Oct. 7 and 8 to cast a ballot for your fellow Gators.
The first is the money. SG has a total budget of $13.6 million that will be dished out next year.
You pay into this SG slush fund when you pay your student activities fee each semester, so you, too, have a stake in it.
This money gets directly funneled to us through several different mechanisms.
SG funds dozens of student groups - such as Accent - and divvies money out to the Reitz Union and the Recreational Sports Department.
The Cartel and Yung Joc concert that you enjoyed last weekend? It was paid for by Student Government Productions.
The second reason everyone should vote is that SG's actions and policies affect us in concrete ways.
A strong Student Senate can stand up against unfair university policies, and the student body president sits on the Board of Trustees. SG helps plan transportation regulations and fund upkeep of the Reitz Union and Southwest Recreation Center. And remember those dreaded hand scanners that nobody wants? The election is the place to vote on a referendum against them.
In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln stated, "that government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
We have the right to hold our leaders accountable, and we have the right to decide who represents us.
Fed up with Student Government? Vote.
Support the current leadership? Vote.
Whether you support the Gator Party, Orange and Blue Party, Student Party or independent candidates, you have a reason to vote in the SG election.
SG affects our pocketbooks, transcripts and ability to throw pingpong balls into Solo cups every Friday and Saturday night.
Each party offers both a vastly different platform and overall direction for our university, and it would be wise for all Gators to pay attention and vote.
Kyle Robisch is a political science and economics sophomore and an SG election commissioner. This column was written with fellow SG Election Commissioner Daniel Thompson.
