The Independent View: FL Petition for Political Parties to Pay for Primaries if Independents Can't Vote

A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT Petition, “All Voters Vote”, was Launched in Florida Demanding the Secretary of State make the Political Parties Pay for “Their” Primaries as long as 3.7 Million Tax-Paying Independent Voters are Shut Out of the Process.

Why are 3.7 Million Florida Independent Voters Paying for Primary Elections when they can't vote?

Democratic & Republican Party Bosses have Opposed every effort by the People of Florida to allow 3.7 Million Registered Independents to Vote in Taxpayer Funded Primary Elections. Both Parties are Petitioning the Florida Supreme Court to Prevent a Proposed Amendment from Appearing on the 2020 Ballot that would let All Independent Voters to Vote in every Florida Election.

Florida spends $14 Million to Run the Primaries. If the Parties want to keep Millions of Floridians Out of their "Private Elections", let them foot the Bill.

So they ask Florida Secretary of State, Laurel Lee, to Require the Democratic and Republican Parties to Pay for the Presidential Primaries on March 17th as long as they do Not allow for the Full Participation of every Florida Voter.

This is a No Taxation without Representation Issue.

Florida is a “Closed Primary” State, meaning Only Voters Registered with the Democratic or Republican Parties can Vote in Party Primary Elections for the Governor, Cabinet, and Legislature. That Excludes All Non-Party-Affiliated Voters (NPAs), who now Represent nearly One Third of Registered Voters in Florida.

The Proposed Amendment would allow All Registered Voters to Vote in Primary Elections, but All Candidates for a Specific Office would Appear on the Same Ballot, with the Two Highest Vote-Getters would Advancing to the General Election.

That’s known as a “Top-Two” or “Jungle” Primary System, and it could mean that Two Republicans or Two Democrats could end up on the same General Election Ballot.

Also Voicing Opposition is Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, whose Office has been Active in Speaking Out against Several Proposed 2020 Constitutional Amendments. Moody wrote in a Filing with the Court that the Proposal would give Party Bosses “Sole Discretion” over the Party Candidate Nominating Process. “The primary process was adopted to eliminate the good-ole-boys clubs of yesteryear, when party brass in smoke-filled rooms chose the party’s candidates,” Moody wrote. “While this proposed ballot question purports to improve upon Florida’s system for electing leaders, the ballot title and summary hide the fact that it would explicitly allow political parties to select candidates through a closed process.”

Glenn Burhans Jr. is the Chair of All Voters Vote. He says it’s All about making Voting more Accessible. “Both parties should check their math because they exclude the 3.7 million registered voters that were blocked from voting in the 2018 primaries. We should not be surprised that both parties continue to exclude non-party affiliated voters from their consideration.”

The Measure already has Submitted more than 703,000 Valid Signatures to the Florida Division of Elections. It needs 766,200 Qualified Verified Signatures by February to Qualify for the Ballot. That’s if the Measure survives a Review of its Ballot Language by the State’s High Court.