Access Party not running executive candidates

Access Party will not run candidates for the Student Government executive ticket, the party president said Thursday.

Access Party President Michael Russel said he reenlisted the party Thursday in order to keep the name after learning an unknown person tried to register it Tuesday. The party will not be interviewing Student Senate candidates.

This is the first semester the party will not be running candidates for Student Body president, vice president or treasurer since its founding in Spring 2015, according to Alligator archives.

Russel said the party did not feel like the political climate was ready for another Access run.

“We’re not of cially closing the door on any opportunities,” the 20-year-old said. “We will definitely be keeping our eye on what Student Government does.”

He said Access Party is currently not endorsing any other party or candidate but still supports online voting.

“We encourage anyone who wants to make a difference in Student Government to run with a party or run as an independent,” the UF political science and criminology and law junior said.

For Casey Witte, a UF finance freshman, he’s hoping to bring change to UF through his new party.

After running an unsuccessful independent campaign for the Rawlings Senate seat in Fall, the 18-year-old decided to switch tac- tics and “fight fire with fire” by creating Progress Party to challenge Impact Party Senate seats.

Witte, the party’s president, registered the party about a week ago, he said. The last party that was named Progress Party disbanded in 2011, according to Alligator archives.

“This is a fresh start,” he said. “I felt that it might be a cliche, but progress needed to be done on campus.”

Witte said he wants the party to be the voice of all students, not just Greek-afiliated ones.

“Progress Party is for the students first and foremost,” he said. “We don’t have any ulterior motives.”

He said Progress Party does not have plans to run an executive ticket but will run candidates for UF’s Student Senate.

Witte and about 14 of officers and volunteers will be polling students to see what changes they want to make, he said. He hopes to inspire more students to vote in the election by giving them a new voice.

“It may not sound like a lot,” he said. “But people often underestimate the power of a few dedicated individuals.”

@paigexfry

pfry@alligator.org