Michael Belle
In the face of an a typical year in campus politics, the Gator Party was able to win 70 percent of the Senate seats and maintain a majority despite allegations of corruption and lies.
I'm not surprised. What does surprise me is that even though the race seemed close, wherever you looked and with whomever you talked, the reality in Districts A, B and C was 100 percent support for the Gator Party.
In District D, Gator's support diminished somewhat to 62 percent. Outside those districts the race was actually close, favoring the Orange and Blue Party by a few percentage points.
There appears to be a fly in the democratic ointment on campus.
Most students only enjoy citizenship in the campus community for four years, changing ZIP codes numerous times during that period. Student Government party names and symbols are kept for maybe half that time.
Looking for trends over time, we can get an idea of whether ZIP code districts contain a particular voting bloc, or a specific group of voters.
Such a bloc would be able to influence the individually honest but generally random choices made by the students who live in the district during any given semester.
The bloc's choice, like that of any other power-seeking entity, would be to control the governing body.
Do election outcomes in ZIP code districts predict the party that will be in power? Additionally, do the Senate leadership, Senate president, pro tempore and committee chairs reflect an equal representation of all types of Senate districts, irrelevant of party? Or does an identifiable minority control the activities of the Senate?
I analyzed the past six years of Senate election results and leadership assignments to answer these questions. Using the past 12 Senate terms as a model, it can be said with almost complete confidence that ZIP code district representation mirrors the majority in the Senate.
Of the 228 election results I looked at, only nine times in the past six years have any of these seats been captured by the ranks of legitimate opposition.
But nine times out of 228 would be an insult to the senators in Districts A, B and C. Not once has a single District A, B or C senator failed to enjoy the benefits of being in the majority.
Only once have ZIP code senators, who represent a minority of students, held a minority of Senate leadership positions. Almost half of the time, District A, B and C senators controlled the Senate on their own.
Could it be any clearer that ZIP code district stifle opposition, placing a thumb on the scales of democracy?
It is no wonder that many students don't care about SG. When there is no legitimate choice in the process, what's the value of having a choice?
Over the past six years, ZIP code districts have defended the status quo against opposition and allowed a minority bloc of students to control the entire student body's government. They should be done away with.
Michael Belle is political science graduate student. His column appears on Wednesdays.
