Politics are different in Florida. Chase Meyer, a UF political science lecturer, can attest to that.
The 32-year-old grew up in deep-red Texas and graduated from the University of Georgia. He said he still is not used to living in a swing state like Florida.
Meyer hasn’t been so excited to participate in elections until he moved to Florida two years ago.
“Being in a place like Georgia and Texas, I knew my vote didn’t count,” he said. “There was less excitement.”
Meyer was thrilled to see a long line of people waiting to vote at the Reitz Union when he cast his ballot last Wednesday.
“Any of those people could be the deciding vote,” he said.
Meyer, who lectures on federal government and U.S. Southern politics, discussed the midterm elections with students during class. Although his students asked him for his personal opinions, Meyer said he prefers to leave his political leanings a mystery.
Midterm elections tend to have a smaller voter turnout than general elections, and the sitting president’s party historically gets comfortable during midterms, he said.
“Democrats are angry, they’re fearful for the future, and they don’t like the direction of the country,” Meyer said. “That’s what motivates Democrats to vote.”
Meyer watched the results with political science colleagues in Pugh Hall Tuesday night.
“People get excited about elections, as excited as we get watching a Florida-Georgia game,” he said. “But there are real consequences.”
Contact Jessica Curbelo at jcurbelo@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jesscurbelo
Chase Meyer, a UF political science professor
