Floridian’s head to the polls today
It’s primary day in Florida, as well as other states, and as it has become customary, I was again the first voter at my precinct this morning. Then again, I was the ONLY voter at my precinct which was a bit alarming to me. Usually there is a line of people behind me, but today, zip. Maybe it was because of the early voting we allow in Florida or absentee ballots, but I tend to believe people do not see the value in voting in such obscure elections.
There were four ballots to chose from: Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, and Non-Partisan (which was essentially an empty piece of paper). On my ballot, I was asked to vote on the party nominee for U.S. Senate, the Property Appraiser (which is a hot race down here), two county judges, two school board members, a state committeeman, a state committeewoman, and a state constitutional amendment involving the exemption from ad valorem taxation of the assessed value of solar or renewable energy source devices.
Out in front of the precinct were a plethora of campaign signs of all sizes and shapes. There was even a location where you can obtain the voting recommendations from the “Tampa Bay Times,” our local liberal newspaper.
Actually, the Times performs an invaluable service by printing their recommendations. I’ll take a copy with me when I vote. If I ever get stuck on an issue, I reference the Times, and vote the opposite of their recommendation. I am then more confident of my decision.
The whole voting process, from start to finish, took approximately ten minutes to perform. As the first voter, I become the guinea pig to shake out the bugs in the system. It seems the more we add technology to expedite the process, the longer it takes to vote. I really miss the old punch cards and computer printouts.
One last note, Yes, Florida is one of the states where you have to produce a valid Voter ID, preferably a Florida Driver’s license. No, it didn’t slow the process, nor was I offended. We’re kind of used to it in Pinellas County where you also have to produce a photo ID to dispose of garbage at the public dump.
Voting runs from 7:00am today to 7:00pm tonight. Good luck to everyone running, and GET OUT THE VOTE!
Keep the Faith!