Did You Exercise Your Right to Vote in the Primary Election?

Including Vote by Mail, early voting, and going to the polls on Election Day, 41,871 Sumter County citizens exercised their right to vote in the Primary Election. That equates to 33.86% of eligible citizens who chose to participate. More telling is that 81,801 citizens, a whopping 66.14% decided not to vote.

That means a minority of 41,871 registered voters out of 123,672 eligible voters elected three Sumter County Commissioners, a Superintendent of Schools, a School Board member, and three District Judges.

With so much at stake, why was the turnout so low? Why do some people boast that they have never missed a Presidential Election yet ignore Primary Elections? Perhaps the main reason is that voting in Primary Elections takes more thought. The most common excuse is, I do not know who is running or what the issues are. It is too hard to find out. Too often you hear, “As a lifelong Democrat or Republican, I always vote straight party” or as an Independent, “I vote for the best candidate.”

That strategy may work in a General Election but was not applicable in this Primary Election. While a majority of eligible voters sat this one out, a minority of eligible voters ELECTED 8 candidates that may have a more immediate impact on the daily lives of Sumter County residents than many of the races being contested in November.

Certainly, we intend to vote in the November Presidential Election, and even if we decide not to vote for a straight-party ticket, there will be a plethora of media coverage to keep you informed. We will not have an excuse.

In addition to the regular slate of candidates to choose from, in the General Election, Floridians will be deciding on six proposed Amendments to the State Constitution. That will require some effort on everyone’s part. Stay tuned as we will attempt to help you with your research.

The VHA Editorial Board
Rich Cole
Roger Kass