Voting in the primary election is starting soon. Important local races will be on the ballot regardless of a voter’s party affiliation.
Some people think primary elections only contain partisan races. That’s not true in Florida. Every voter in Lake, Marion and Sumter counties will be electing school board members and Circuit Court judges. Every Sumter County resident will elect their next Superintendent of Schools.
The League of Women Voters of The Villages/Tri-County has compiled resources to help voters make an informed choice.
Their website has links to an online voter guide, tips about voting by mail, criteria for evaluating judges, things to consider when selecting school board members, dates for upcoming Candidate Meet and Greets, as well as early voting hours and voting locations for each county.
The League’s online voting guide has unedited responses from 92% of the local candidates running in Sumter County, 83% of the candidates running in Lake, and 80% of the candidates running in Marion counties. After comparing candidates’ answers side-by-side, voters can check their choice for that race and when finished, print a document summarizing their decisions.
While information about the upcoming presidential election may seem to be everywhere, it is harder to find unbiased information about local candidates. Therefore, too many voters are not focusing on local elections when, in fact, it is the local candidates who make the decisions impacting daily life: taxes, quality of roads, safety in the community, and what local children learn in their schools.
The resources needed to pick candidates who reflect the voter’s priorities can be found on lwvtrifl.org.
