The fastest growing segment of Florida’s electorate is choosing no party affiliation, a bipartisan group of activists is pushing for a constitutional amendment to open Florida’s closed primary system to all voters.
The All Voters Vote amendment was delivered today to the Florida Division of Elections with the hope of getting enough signatures to place it on the 2016 ballot.
Miami lawyer Gene Stearns, who is leading the effort, said the goal is to encourage elected officials to listen to a broader swath of voters by giving voice to the growing number of Floridians who are written out of the state’s primary election system because they choose not to register with any political party.
Title: All Voters Vote in Top Two Primary Elections for Congress, State Legislature, Governor, and Cabinet
Ballot Summary: Allows all voters to vote in primaries for Congress,
Legislature, Governor, and Cabinet; eliminates government-funded party nominations for those offices. Candidate nominated by party appears on ballot as party’s nominee; other candidates may indicate party preference. Top two vote getters advance to general election regardless of party affiliation, except state office candidate obtaining majority of votes in primary is elected; provides for election of majority winner in Congressional primary if federal law is changed.
CLICK HERE to read the full text of the amendment.
If the measure makes it to the ballot and is approved by 60 percent of voters, it would take effect in the 2018 election cycle.
The group has raised $103,000 of the $3.5 million that Stearns projects will be needed to get the measure on the ballot and passed. Contributions to date have come primarily from Stearns’ law firm, Coral Gables developer John Abdo, Miami liquor distributor CC1 Companies and Miami Beach businessman Chris Findlater. The political committee has spent $80,000, nearly all of it on a California-based signature gathering company.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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