Tuesday is Election Day and we sincerely hope everyone who is registered to vote will take part in one of the cornerstones of democracy.
Many area residents have taken advantage of early voting for the Primary Election, but for those who haven’t, Tuesday is your chance to make known your feelings about your political leaders. A wide variety of local offices are on the ballot in all three counties, and you are fortunate enough to have the right to help decide who will fill those important positions.
Voting is one of the most cherished rights we have and we should never take it for granted. People in many other countries look on with envy for something we often take for granted – the ability to choose your government of tomorrow through the representatives you elect.
Unfortunately, many people don’t bother to cast their votes. We’ve all heard it before – I’m just one vote and I can’t make a difference. They see themselves as irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, which simply isn’t true. If everyone felt that way we’d truly have a huge mess on Election Day.
One reason that Tuesday’s election could see a low voter turnout is because it’s a Primary Election. History has shown us that many people don’t believe those hold the same clout as General Elections and simply won’t bother to cast their ballots for the people that will represent them at the local level.
Sadly, since 1960, the United States has only seen a voter turnout of more than 55 percent on seven occasions. That’s right – 55 percent. We think that’s appalling and find it hard to believe that half or more of registered voters oftentimes don’t bother to cast their ballots.
If you think about it, your vote in a Primary Election actually could carry more weight if voter turnout is low. If only half of those registered to vote participate – we sincerely hope that doesn’t happen – then clearly your vote becomes even more important in deciding who will be in leadership roles and make decisions that will affect you, your lifestyle and very likely your wallets and pocketbooks.
While all three counties have extremely important races taking place, none are being more hotly contested than the three county commission races in Sumter County. It’s an election that many consider to be among the most important in the history of the 167-year-old county – one that could drastically alter the path for years to come for the county that’s home to the majority of Villages homes.
This election carries the same historic significance as the one in 2004 when One Sumter – a measure that stipulated that all county residents elect all five commissioners – passed with flying colors. Many feared that One Sumter would give too much political power to The Villages as the community continued to grow at a record pace and quickly become home to the majority of registered voters.
That brings us to Tuesday’s election, where three incumbent commissioners – Al Butler, Don Burgess and Steve Printz – have spent thousands of dollars to retain their seats and their $63,000-plus annual salaries. For the record, the vast majority of their campaign contributions came from contractors and businesses connected to The Villages and they are seen as Villages-friendly candidates who will kowtow to the Developer and do whatever it takes to keep him happy – and rich.
The issue many residents have with the Sumter County Commission reared its head this past September when commissioners unanimously approved a 25 percent tax hike. That controversial decision – one they downplayed at a later meeting – was seen as a sweetheart deal for the Developer to take care of Villages infrastructure costs in the newer sections of the community and the paving of roadways in the mega-retirement community.
Resident after resident stood up and complained about the massive tax hike and suggested the commissioners were in bed with The Villages Developer. They formed long lines to share their concerns and demanded the commissioners abandon the 25 percent tax hike. But in the end their concerns fell on deaf ears, as the commission unanimously approved the tax increase.
That issue led to four candidates – Craig Estep, Gary Search, Oren Miller and Daniel Myslakowski – coming forward in an attempt to unseat Burgess, Butler and Printz, respectively. Each of the challengers brings varied backgrounds and experience to the table and each has made it clear that they won’t carry the water for The Villages Developer, so to speak.
We’re certainly not telling anyone how to vote – we believe that’s an extremely personal decision much like your choice of religion – but the bottom line is this: If you’re happy with the status quo, the 25 percent tax hike and the appearance of bowing to The Villages Developer, you’ll most likely support the incumbents. But if you’re looking for change and fresh blood that isn’t beholden to the Developer, you actually have choices for the first time in quite a few years.
That’s said, there are 613,005 registered voters in the tri-county area – 102,586 in Sumter County, 255,200 in Lake County and 255,219 in Marion County. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if on Tuesday night when it’s all said and done, a huge majority of those voters had participated in the process and helped decide who would lead all three counties and local communities for years to come? We think it would be phenomenal and make quite a statement about the importance of participating in the democratic process.
If you’ve already cast your ballots during the early voting period, we commend you. And if you haven’t, please do so on Tuesday. It’s a wonderful right we should embrace and cherish – and never take for granted.