by Joe Courter
There will be primaries in August, and then the final election in November. Many things will play out between now and then. Please, just know you need to vote.
Message to students: Change your voter registration to Gainesville, you are representing future students coming to town. Better city and county Commissioners is a good legacy to leave. Also, if you have moved, update your registration with the Supervisor of Elections office.
If you are going to be out of town over the summer, an absentee ballot may be an idea, as the primary is August 20, which is just when UF resumes classes. You will see who is running in plenty of time to vote. Easy to do, call 352-374-5252 or go by the Supervisor of Elections office on N. Main St.
The Iguana will have an elections issue out in August, and you can always consult that online no matter where you are.
There is talk about Third Party candidates trying to hop in the Presidential race. Barring a gigantic groundswell, the entrenched duopoly that is the US system will prevail. Voting is about the math, not about feeling virtuous or expressing personal displeasure. Voting is also about all the down ballot races that your one vote actually has much more impact with. If you must skip the Democrat presidential, fine, I do not agree, but please vote the rest of the ballot.
And, most importantly, the news broke that a woman’s right to control her body is on the ballot. That bodily control has also just had chains put on it with the past 6-week abortion ban going into effect in May.
This is huge. We are under attack, organizing to get out the vote is up to us all who care. Yes you vote because very real lives depend on it.