by Janice Garry
I received my vote by mail ballot and saw the words “Universal Primary Contest” on two choices on the ballot. I had no idea what that meant. So, I did some research and talked with people who know about these things. Let me share what I learned.
Florida has Universal Primary Contests under some circumstances. Per the Supervisor of Elections of Marion County, that means that if all the candidates for a given seat have the same party affiliation, thus there will be no opposition in the general election, all voters of all parties or voters with no party affiliation can vote for the candidates in the primary election.
Translating that into the Alachua County election, for the race of State Representative, District 21 (retiring Yvonne Hayes Hinson’s seat) and the County Commission, District 2 (retiring Marihelen Wheeler’s seat), all registered voters can vote. That’s because all the candidates are Democrats and there is no other party with a candidate. That situation makes those races Universal Primary Contests.
Here’s the clincher. The candidate who has the most votes for those seats, wins the seat. Those races will not be on the general election ballot. The winning candidate does not have to get over 50 percent of the vote. For each of those races, there are multiple candidates, so getting over 50 percent by any one candidate is unlikely. That’s part of the reason the Aug. 18 election is a one-time chance.
Additionally, there are a number of other races on the ballot that will or could be decided by the vote from the Aug. 18 primary even though they are not Universal Primary Contests. Non-partisan races are County Judge Group 5, Gainesville Mayor, and School Board District 3. Since there are only two candidates in each race, one candidate winning over 50 percent of the vote is likely. Other races, School Board District 1, and Gainesville City Commission Districts 2 and 3, are non-partisan and could be decided by the August 18 election if one of the three candidates receives over 50 percent of the votes.
All elections at all levels of government are important, as we can see from the federal and state fiascos that beset us. In our daily lives, our vote for local leadership has much impact. I have been following the county commission race carefully. In my mind, with the state preemptions – taking over decisions that used to be made by local leaders, it is important for our leadership to know what choices have been taken away from us and what tools we have to preserve the values and culture of our unique Alachua County.
In addition, we have the looming Amendment 3 referendum on our November ballot that, if passed by 60 percent of Florida voters, will take away over $50,000,000 of income from Alachua County in 2027. It would significantly reduce homestead property tax revenue and, by necessity, make the county and cities raise other taxes and fees to cover emergency services and some 250 other county programs, like veterans’ services and the animal shelter. We need the best, most experienced leadership we can get to discourage the passage of the referendum and to respond to it if it passes.
Bottom line: each of us needs to be an informed voter. Please see Donna Waller’s article on page 1 for candidate information sources. The Alachua County Democratic Party hosted a series of forums for each race. They are posted at: tinyurl.com/iguana2534. The Alligator did a nice summary of the county commission forum which you can find at: tinyurl.com/iguana2535.
There is a whole lot of stuff going on that hits us in the gut but we have little control. We have more control in our local elections where we can meet candidates, read about them, watch them on videos and choose them for their qualifications and their plans for our community that reflect our values and priorities. Let’s vote by August 18!