Q&A of the Day – Deciding How to Vote in Florida’s Primary Elections & Why Opposing Party Candidates Are on Ballots
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s Entry: Submitted via talkback asking about how to vet opposing party candidates on primary ballots.
Bottom Line: This is one of the most common questions that comes up in Florida’s primary elections each cycle...the question of how to vet candidates from an opposing party when there are races featuring only candidates from an opposing party to one’s voter registration. Another related question I was recently asked was why there would be only opposition candidates in certain races when Florida’s August 20th elections are said to be primary elections, or elections in which registered partisans would decide their party’s nominees to run against opposing party candidates and/or independents in the general election. This serves as a reminder that with Florida’s booming population, and record net migration into the state we always have an influx of new voters from one cycle to the next – in addition to Floridians that are newly registered voters. Florida’s August primary elections can be confusing to new voters without additional context, and I’ll start with addressing why that’s the case.
While Florida’s August elections are referred to “primary elections”, there are many races and issues that are decided in the August primaries. For example, on my ballot in Palm Beach County as a registered Republican, I had nine elections to vote in (eight featuring candidates and PBC’s Question 1). One of those races features only Democrats to choose from and five of the outcomes will be final in those races with the results from tomorrow’s election. In other words, while tomorrow’s elections are called “primaries” most of what I’ve voted for will be decided now as opposed to in November and that’s true for many Floridians across the state. Some of the races are inherently set that way, for example, nonpartisan judicial races and school board races. Other races are decided due to an absence of political opposition. For example, if you’re registered to a particular political party, but your only options in certain races are from an opposing political party, that’s due to no other candidates from another party (including independents) running in those races. Those races then go from being scheduled as primary races to general election races as the winner of the would-be primary election is the default winner of that race.
This is an especially important topic because far too often registered NPAs or minor party affiliated voters figure that there’s no point in voting in the August primaries, because there’s nothing for them to vote for. This obviously isn’t the case. Every registered voter in the state of Florida has elections on their ballots that will be decided tomorrow regardless of party registration status. An illustration of this discrepancy can be found based with those who’ve participated in early voting.
- Florida’s registered NPAs and minor party affiliated voters make up about 29% of registered voters
- As of Sunday, only about 13% of those who’ve already voted are registered NPAs or minor party affiliated voters
In other words, those who aren’t registered to one of the two major parties are well less than half as likely to vote and this is historically typical as well. The massive underrepresentation of these voters is often due to an informational disconnect. As for how to vet candidates from opposing political parties and nonpartisan races... A few weeks ago, I teed up the topic but for those who may have missed it here goes (while amending one of my recommendations due to the proximity to the elections with tomorrow being Election Day)...
Partisan races
What issues are most important to you pertaining to the race for that specific office? Once you define those issues clearly you can specifically seek out answers to those questions and see if one candidate stands out the most to you on those issues. Even if multiple candidates seem to be similar things, I often find that if I prioritize what matters most to me and seek those specific answers starting with the candidate's website, I'm able to notice differences in those issues or at least the priority of those issues with those candidates. If that doesn’t do the trick...
Check the endorsements. If there are specific organizations or individuals that you respect the opinion of – look for them on the endorsement pages of the candidates. You’ll likely spot names and organizations you’re familiar with that could help you if you’re struggling to decide.
Nonpartisan races
Much like partisan races look for the issues. Where do they stand? How prominent are the issues they’re raising as key concerns to you? If you find that they’re focusing on issues you care about – you might find your candidate. If you find they’re focusing on issues that you don’t think are highly relevant or disagree with, you might be able to rule them out. The process of elimination (or voting for the candidate you disagree with the least) has historically been common for conservatives in South Florida.
Endorsements have the potential to be especially helpful in non-partisan races. Again, look for organizations and individuals and see if you can identify any that you view as significant – one way or another. Sometimes it can become clear quickly how potentially partisan many non-partisan candidates happen to be.
Hopefully this has been helpful, and happy voting!