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Thursday, March 28, 2024

From the rumors of Impact Party corruption to allegations of Inspire Party ineptitude, students will hear it in the presidential debate, Senate livestreams and each time campaign season comes around. When there are two parties, scandal and controversy ensue.

I have been fairly active in the Student Government Senate and have had the privilege of working with both parties. I am not a senator, but I have had my voice heard thanks to the bipartisan efforts of the Senate. The following should not be taken as unappreciative of both parties’ efforts and efficiency.

It becomes the duty of the majority to pass legislation, and it becomes the responsibility of the minority to bring things to the majority’s attention in the Senate — something a non-senator could do in public debate and by shaking the right hands.

Bipartisanship does not mean cooperation. There is no need for cooperation when any one party controls two-thirds of the vote and has veto power over whatever remaining fraction of the one-third remains. If the minority passes something, it is only because they were allowed to.

Why do we bother with minority parties, then?

When a person who is passionate about SG does not get slated with the majority party, and is thus excluded from that race as anything other than an independent candidate, there is a strong incentive for them to start their own political party. From there, it is fairly easy to get votes by running an anti-majority party campaign. Many times, a vote for the minority is a vote against the majority. The reason behind a minority party is for the opposition. Both must defend themselves against the other.

What happens when someone opposes both the majority and minority parties? The voter is forced to vote for the “lesser of two evils,” someone who they did not support in the first place. The voter feels unrepresented, and turnout in the next election is even lower because the voter no longer relates to SG. Online voting will not fix this.

Before you know it, the Senate is passing resolutions on non-issues or represents only its partisan base because the rest of the Student Body will not approach the Senate about what really troubles them.

The problem is bipartisanship because the Senate becomes unrepresentative when there is an inability for any other party to gain a voice, like a third party. This is not about opposing the majority party and minority party or watering down their influence. After all, the majority will likely retain their base, and the minority (as it currently exists) will always be there so long as there is the majority to oppose.

This is about bringing the diversity of topics students want before SG without them feeling that their vote is being wasted, so the Senate can serve as a true forum of discussion for the beliefs of all students. Until then, the misrepresentation will continue to be the status quo. The abolition of first-past-the-post is long overdue, and the era of multi-partisanship is steadily approaching.

Alfredo Ortiz is a UF philosophy freshman.

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