Florida\u2019s primary election is a few days away, and your vote counts.<\/p>\n
If you live in Broward or Palm Beach counties, your vote especially counts, because so many of your neighbors are not voting \u2014 at least not yet.<\/p>\n
But there is still plenty of time.<\/p>\n
If you received a mail ballot and did not return it, you can fill it out and hand-deliver it to one of the early voting sites that will be open all day Saturday, Aug. 15. If you didn\u2019t get a mail ballot, you will vote at your neighborhood polling place on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 18 \u2014 simple as that.<\/p>\n
Another \u2018blue mirage\u2019<\/p>\n
The ever-changing turnout statistics<\/a>, as of Friday, suggest that Broward is in for another \u201cblue mirage,\u201d where Democrats often do not show up and where genuine enthusiasm is difficult to see.<\/p>\n As of Friday afternoon, Broward had the lowest turnout so far of all 67 Florida counties, according to a website<\/a> that tracks turnout everywhere using the counties\u2019 own reporting totals.<\/p>\n Broward\u2019s dead-last turnout total was just under 7%.<\/p>\n For comparison, the highest turnout was in Sumter County, home of The Villages, which had a 21% turnout in the same report. In strongly Republican Lee County (Fort Myers), it was 17%. Palm Beach was at 11%, and Miami-Dade 10%.<\/p>\n Counties update reporting totals in real time, so the numbers are constantly changing.<\/p>\n Far fewer mail ballots<\/p>\n Republicans \u2014 starting with President Trump \u2014 have cynically worked to discourage people from voting by mail, and it works.<\/p>\n About half as many voters requested mail ballots for this primary than in the last midterm primary four years ago, according to an analysis<\/a> by the Florida Trib. As a result, fewer people are voting.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible that a far greater share of likely voters plans to vote in person Tuesday. That would be good for democracy, but it remains to be seen.<\/p>\n We know who\u2019s voting, but we won\u2019t know until Tuesday night how they are voting.<\/p>\n Nearly three times as many Democrats as Republicans had cast their ballots in Broward as of Friday afternoon. No-party affiliation voters, or NPAs, made up about 11% of the county\u2019s turnout so far.<\/p>\n In Palm Beach County, Democrats also are far outpacing Republicans who are voting early and by mail.<\/p>\n Statewide, Republicans have a modest but consistent turnout advantage, as would be expected in a state where the GOP holds a massive lead<\/a> in registration of 1.6 million voters.<\/p>\n But the early Democratic turnout is higher, so far, in Miami-Dade, Orlando and Tampa.<\/p>\n Five big School Board races<\/p>\n Despite Broward\u2019s anemic turnout, the stakes are high for the county School Board on Tuesday.<\/p>\n All School Board elections are nonpartisan, which means they are open to all eligible voters.<\/p>\n Five of Broward\u2019s nine School Board seats are on this ballot, and four represent districts, which are separate geographic areas represented by different board members, and open to all voters who live in those respective districts.<\/p>\n Two of the district elections are in North Broward, one is central and one is south. The fifth board seat is countywide and open to all voters.<\/p>\n The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board endorsed candidates<\/a> in every School Board race and in dozens of other contests on the primary ballot.<\/p>\n Because two board members did not run for re-election, the board is guaranteed to have two new members, representing Districts 4 and 6 in North Broward.<\/p>\n Why don\u2019t people vote?<\/p>\n Voters don\u2019t vote for a whole host of reasons \u2014 none of them justifiable, in our opinion.<\/p>\n The voters don\u2019t trust politicians. They don\u2019t know the candidates. They don\u2019t have time to vote. They\u2019re too busy working. Politicians don\u2019t care about \u201cpeople like me.\u201d<\/p>\n Our sense is that many people are overwhelmed by the stress of everyday life, and especially by financial strain \u2014 paying for a tank of gas or a dozen eggs and keeping a roof over their heads.<\/p>\n Electing the right people to these public positions could ease that stress and make life more tolerable \u2014 at least that\u2019s how representative democracy is supposed to work.<\/p>\n But it takes voters to make that happen.<\/p>\n The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Florida\u2019s primary election is a few days away, and your vote counts. 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