The sounds of U-U-Unite, U-U-Unite could be heard ringing throughout the area outside the Orange & Brew early this morning as election results were announced.
Unite Party members chanted and cheered as they heard they dominated Student Government elections once again, nabbing all but three of the 46 Senate seats available.
The Orange and Blue Party walked away with two seats: Jonathan Ossip for the Murphree Area and Alan Yanuck for the Keys Residential Complex.
Odette Rivera, of the Progress Party, grabbed the seat for family housing.
Supervisor of Elections Ariana Alfonso announced the Unite Party's success around midnight to a crowd of about 156 people wearing blue, orange and red T-shirts.
Among those who walked away with seats were two Unite Party members who entered into deferred prosecution agreements with the State Attorney's office earlier this year, one for underage alcohol possession and one for underage alcohol possession, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Alfonso said 8,483 students voted in fall's election. A total of 10,469 students voted in the 2008 fall election.
Unite Party President Joey Regalado said he was overcome with emotion and attributed the wins to the hard work of his candidates and volunteers. He said he called his parents with the results.
"I was calling to tell them that all the work was not in vain," he said.
After hearing the results, members of the Orange and Blue Party lifted re-elected Murphree Senator Jonathan Ossip into the air.
Ben Cavataro, the Orange and Blue Party policy and communications director, said despite the results he was proud of the hard work of his candidates.
"They put mind and soul and body into this and I think as a result our university will become better," he said.
Progress Party members gathered on the grassy area overlooking the amphitheater after their defeat.
Progress Party President Dave Schneider said he was proud his party chose to rally after the results were announced rather than hang their heads and go home.
"That to me was more important than anything that happened on that stage," he said.
Seventy percent of students voted against the "I Voted" stickers initiative, which would have prohibited giving out "I Voted" stickers during future elections.
"It's unfortunate it didn't pass, but I feel like we got our message across about the wasteful spending on stickers and coercion," said former Lakeside Sen. Gary Benedix, who co-authored the initiative.
The Unite Party spent about $6,800 on campaigning, while the Orange and Blue Party spent about $2,560 and the Progress Party spent about $1,480 on campaigning materials.
Despite the Unite Party's overwhelming success, all three parties swarmed campus Wednesday, with candidates and volunteers stationed at Turlington Plaza, the Reitz Union and other well-populated areas.
Polls closed at about 8 p.m. Wednesday, leaving members of each party with time to relax before crowding outside of the Orange & Brew to hear the results.
The Unite Party relaxed upstairs at The Swamp Restaurant, drinking beer out of Yuengling cups and listening to music that varied from Journey to Taylor Swift.
The crowd size rose and fell, ranging from about 30 to 70 people wearing mostly Unite Party T-shirts.
About a dozen members of the Orange and Blue Party flooded to party president Kyle Huey's house. They ordered four Papa John's cheese pizzas and sat around using their smart phones or laptops while recounting the election and SG politics.
About 30 Progress Party members trooped to a District A candidate's house near the UF Hillel, where they drank, talked and watched "Kimbo."
Schneider gave a 15-minute speech where he thanked party members for their support. He also addressed critics who said the party was nothing other than a cult of personality around former Progress Party presidential candidate Ben Dictor.
Schneider and the rest of the party rolled into the Orange and Brew around 11:25 p.m. Schneider was wearing what he called a "Fidelista hat" and smoking a cigar. He and the rest of his crew showed up singing "Solidarity Forever."
Alfonso, the Progress Party and the Unite Party all filed complaints against former Orange and Blue Party CLAS Sen. Mark McShera, who passed out fake SG "I Voted" stickers during this week's campaigning.
A Commission meeting will be held Thursday at 5 p.m. to discuss the violations.
McShera said he passed them out because restricting who is allowed to distribute stickers is a violation of freedom of speech.
McShera said he passed out about 12,000 stickers around campus Tuesday and Wednesday.
"I'm here to shed light on the fact that SG frequently infringes on students' rights to free speech on our campus," McShera said.
Joe Trimboli, a District A candidate for the Orange and Blue Party, said he believed McShera had the right to pass out the stickers because Turlington Plaza, a hub for preachers and protestors, is a free-speech zone.
Trimboli said anyone who spoke against McShera passing out the stickers was implying that voters focus more on stickers than on issues.
"I don't vote to get a sticker," Trimboli said.
Progress Party campaign manager Nick Mildebrath said McShera's decision to pass out the stickers while identifying with the Progress Party was immature.
Mildebrath said the Progress Party has never filed an election complaint, and this would be its first.
"I don't care if you have a poster that's a little bit too big or you forget to register one of your T-shirts," he said. "I care if you're lying."
