For those voting for the first time in this presidential election, it may come as a surprise when you walk into the voting booth or retrieve your absentee ballot from the mailbox, the ballot is not simply two large boxes with Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s names next to them.
In addition to the presidential race, Floridians are voting this year for U.S. and state senators and representatives, and a handful of ballot measures, as well. When you first look at it, the long, seemingly complex questions are daunting. You realize you haven’t done any prior research. What’s a county commissioner or a homestead exemption?
It’s important to remember that it’s acceptable to leave any portion of the ballot blank if you wish. At the same time, though, you should ideally make an informed decision on every race and measure. This ensures you are taking full advantage of the sacred right to vote, which forms the core of our flawed but precious democracy.
Many don’t realize that races other than the presidential are often just as important, if not more so. Whereas the president sets the nation’s agenda and guides the general direction of the country, it is our legislators who will be writing and passing the laws we live with every day. The most important set of laws in our state, the Florida Constitution, will be changed depending on the passage of any one of the dozen or so proposed (or legislatively-referred) constitutional amendments on this year’s ballot.
Arguably, the most crucial votes you will be casting this year are for your federal and state representatives and senators. One of the main reasons I chose to vote using an absentee ballot was so I could cast my vote for Alan Grayson, a fiercely progressive former member of Congress who is running again in the newly drawn Ninth District, which now includes my parents’ home in Davenport, after losing to his Tea Party opponent two years ago.
If you’re registered to vote in Alachua County, then you will be voting for a representative from either District 3 or 5. Those voting in the Third District will have the opportunity to vote for either Republican incumbent Cliff Stearns, who led the overdramatic and overblown investigation into Solyndra, and Democratic challenger J. R. Gaillot Jr., a virtual unknown whose website indicates he supports strengthening the social safety net, supporting women’s rights and other typical Democratic positions.
In the latter race, veteran Democratic incumbent Corrine Brown is running for re-election in the newly drawn Fifth District, which is even more gerrymandered than her current one, if that were possible. Her challenger, LeAnne Kolb, is a lockstep Republican whose first paragraph on her website’s “About” section reads: “LeAnne Kolb accepted Jesus Christ as her savior 22 years ago. She is a dedicated Christian, and is going to Washington to ensure that Christian principles remain at the forefront of our countries laws.”
The most crucial ballot measures you’ll be voting on are proposed amendments one, five, six and eight, each of which you should vote a resounding “NO!”
Amendment one would prevent the state from complying with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, undermining the access to insurance thousands more citizens will soon have under the law.
Amendment five would increase legislators’ control over the state court system, allowing them to politicize the nomination process through confirmation hearings.
Amendment six would restrict federal funds for abortion, further undermining women’s right to choose to make their own health care decisions with their doctors.
Amendment eight would push our nation toward theocracy, chipping away at the separation of church and state by repealing the ban on public funds for religious institutions.
Before you vote in this year’s election, be sure to inform yourself on all the issues and all the races and proposals you will find on the ballot. The aforementioned races and measures are vital to understand, but the ballot as a whole deserves your most lucid understanding.
Moisés Reyes is a journalism grad student. His column appears on Fridays. You can contact him via opinions@alligator.org.
