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Get Familiar with the Issues

September 17th, 2014 by flanews

You probably know the candidates this fall, but do you know the issues you’re going to vote on? As Matt Galka tells us, a new coalition was formed to help you make decisions before hitting the polls.

Rick Scott and Charlie Crist are grabbing most of the headlines during election season.  But Floridians will be deciding on three potential changes to the state’s constitution. A voter education thinktank being led by Florida TaxWatch wants to make sure people know what they’re casting their ballots for.

“The decisions are going to impact their lives, their kids lives, and the quality of that life. So, what can they do to be more effective?” said TaxWatch CEO Dominic Colabro.

The state’s three ballot amendments include a medical marijuana initiative, environmental protection, and a supreme court judges rule. But as much as 25 percent of voters skip over the issues and only vote for candidates. Former Governor Bob Martinez says that’s a problem.

“There’s a tendency for a lot of voters to go and do a statewide or a high visibility or what they think is going to be the most important on the ballot, and then they begin to peel off after that,” said Martinez.

The group debuted a voting guide to try and prevent ballot drop off. The hope is that a more informed voting base leads to more people at the polls.

Midterm election turnout is typically low.  The state’s primary only drew a little under 18 percent. Elections supervisor Ion Sancho says that apathy and inaction from voters harms everyone.

“Lindon Baines Johnson noticed this trend many, many years ago when he was decrying the negative nature of politics when he said “Don’t spit in the soup, we all have to consume that,” said Sancho.

The group hopes that voters have everything from soup to nuts covered when they go to the polls in November. Florida TaxWatch’s voting guide is available on their website FloridaTaxWatch.org.

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