No Major Problems in Florida’s Voting System!

Florida‘s election system appeared to perform without major mishaps Tuesday, though there were small problems.

In Central Florida, an evening thunderstorm may have depressed turnout. But errors detected by election officials seemed minor, ranging from a power outage in Oviedo to the wrong ballots handed out to a couple of dozen voters in Osceola County to a stack of Christian Coalition voter guides left in a Sanford church hall that also serves as a poll site. 

Orange County election officials said they were not aware of any foul-ups.

Reggie Mitchell,Florida director of the poll-watching group People for the American Way, said his observers generally were pleased with what they were seeing. “Overall, I would say the election system is working,” he said.

-Orlando Sentinel-

 

In order to conclude this topic on 2006 elections in Florida, I must mention that there were no major problems in Florida’s voting system. Hopefully it will stay that way until the presidential election in 2008. We all know what happened in 2000, and it wasn’t pretty; therefore let’s just hope that Florida stays error free in the future elections. Finally, in my opinion the reason for lack of problems during this election has to do with the large margins by which Nelson and Crist defeated their respectable opponents. Nelson defeated Harris by 22%, while Crist became a governor by defeating Davis by 7%. Winning by 7% is a lot, considering the fact that 7% equals to over 335 thousand votes or, 335,563 to be exact. (Also, there were no major issues in House races either).

 

Nelson Wins Easily

In one of the more lopsided yet closely watched statewide races in Florida history, voters on Tuesday handily re-elected Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and emphatically rejected Republican challenger Katherine Harris.

Loved or hated as a partisan political celebrity, Rep. Harris, of Sarasota, gave up a safe House seat and spent $3.2 million of her own money on her bid for the Senate. Her campaign was marked by endless travails, constant staff turmoil and controversial remarks.

Harris conceded in a telephone call to Nelson and urged her supporters to continue to promote conservative causes.

“Don’t give up on your ideals,” Harris told her supporters. “Don’t succumb to bitterness at the media or vindictiveness toward our political opponents. Stay involved and informed. Our country needs you.”

Nelson celebrated his victory with about 200 cheering supporters at a hotel ballroom near his home in Orlando.

Democrats, especially in South Florida, relished a measure of vengeance by defeating the former Florida secretary of state who declared George W. Bush the winner of Florida’s electoral votes in the disputed 2000 presidential election. Even many Republicans rejected Harris or voted for her out of sheer party loyalty.

“Nelson’s office has been responsive to our needs,” said Tom Ehrbar, a financial adviser in Boca Raton who normally leans Republican. “When Katherine Harris had the chance, she didn’t take the high road and shine the light of leadership.”

But Nelson lost a few votes because of the prevailing disgust with incumbents this year.

“Bill Nelson is a loser,” said Joe Fodera, a retiree in Wilton Manors, who said he voted against all incumbents. “What has he done for us? All my taxes went up.”

Once considered a prime Republican target in an equally divided state, Nelson got an easy pass to a second term by drawing a polarizing opponent with self-destructive tendencies who was never accepted by leaders of her own party.

Nelson, who rarely mentioned his opponent, struck a bipartisan tone in his speeches and ads and diverted about $16.5 million of campaign funds to other Democrats.
-sun-sentinel-

 

Nelson, as expected, won this senate race with ease. Katherine Harris’s reputation damaged her a lot in this race, even many republicans turned against her and that was never a good sign for her. Nelson won by 22% and managed to save over 16 million dollars, which he donated to fund Democratic Party. On the other hand Katherine Harris lost more then just her safe House seat, but 3.2 million dollars of her own money as well.

 

Results – Governor and Cabinet

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Name                                                                         Votes Received     % Votes
Charlie Crist /Jeff Kottkamp (REP)             2,507,131           52.2%
Jim Davis / Daryl L. Jones (DEM)                          2,167,420             45.1%
Max Linn / Tom Macklin (REF)                                     92,246             1.9%
Richard P. Dembinsky / Dr. Joe Smith (NPA)              11,877             0.2%
John W. Smith / James J. Kearney (NPA)                     15,903            0.3%
Karl C.C. Behm / Carol Castagnero (NPA)                     10,422             0.2%

Attorney General
Name                                                         Votes Received         % Votes
Bill McCollum (REP)                         2,426,717                 52.5%
Walter “Skip” Campbell (DEM)             2,196,079                     47.5%

Chief Financial Officer
Name                                             Votes Received             % Votes
Tom Lee (REP)                               2,140,304                    46.4%
Alex Sink (DEM)                         2,467,944                 53.6%

Commissioner of Agriculture
Name                                             Votes Received         % Votes
Charles Bronson (REP)           2,638,863             57.0%
Eric Copeland (DEM)                        1,992,147             43.0%

 

Results – U.S. Senator

Candidate:                             Votes Received:             % Votes

Katherine Harris (REP)         1,815,804                     38.1%
Bill Nelson (DEM)              2,876,494                  60.3%
Floyd Frazier (NPA)                       16,537                  0.3%
Belinda Noah (NPA)                        24,724                 0.5%
Brian Moore (NPA)                         19,564                 0.4%
Roy Tanner (NPA)                          15,485                 0.3%

Bill Nelson won handily over Katherine Harris and his other competition.

 

Results – Constitutional Amendments

UNOFFICIAL ELECTION NIGHT RETURNS
(may not include absentee or provisional ballots)
Results From: 11/8/2006 10:59 PM

Constitutional Amendments

State Planning And Budget Process
YES for Approval       NO for Rejection
Total 2,554,585         1,717,457
% Votes 59.8%           40.2%

Requiring Broader Public Support For Constitutional Amendments Or Revisions
YES for Approval     NO for Rejection
Total 2,587,883        1,892,440
% Votes 57.8%          42.2%

Protect People, Especially Youth, From Addiction, Disease, And Other Health Hazards Of Using Tobacco
YES for Approval     NO for Rejection
Total 2,772,770         1,780,119
% Votes 60.9%         39.1%

Increased Homestead Exemption
YES for Approval     NO for Rejection
Total 3,497,990        1,104,567
% Votes 76.0%          24.0%

Permanently Disabled Veterans’ Discount On Homestead Ad Valorem Tax
YES for Approval     NO for Rejection
Total 3,535,314         1,008,512
% Votes 77.8%             22.2%

Eminent Domain
YES for Approval     NO for Rejection
Total 3,033,721         1,359,639
% Votes 69.1%             30.9%

 

Vote – November 7th

This is more of a reminder than an article, please do not forget to vote on the 7th!

There are 10,433,148 registered voters in the great state of Florida.  We’d like to see most of you at the ballot box.  We will provide results after the votes are counted so be sure to check back tomorrow evening and the following day.

 

Political Dynasty: A Look At District 9

When you think of politicians it does not always conjure up images of family, but in Florida’s 9^th Congressional District, Gus Bilirakis is betting the bank that you will vote for him on November ^7th because he is his father’s son. Congressman Michael “Mike” Bilirakis is retiring from his seat in the House of Representatives after 24 years of service to our nation, and who better to replace him than son Gus who has served admirably in his four terms in the Florida House of Representatives and the State in general over the past 23 years of public service.

Gus’ reported FEC is $2,557,033 and his primary opponent Phyllis Hendler Busansky’s FEC is less than half that at $1,174,282. What does that mean? Gus has a huge advantage over Phyllis. Name recognition or confusion with his father can help Gus immensely and as we enter the final week of campaigning, what money is left in the bank will be poured out into ads, fliers, bumper stickers, and all manner of signs to try and tip the balance. It is likely that this seat will remain Republican.

Gus Bilirakis Campaign Video

Play Video: Windows Media: 128kps 256kps | QuickTime

Watch the Phyllis-Gus Debate Here!

Gus’ main opponent Phyllis Busansky was elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 1988 as a reform candidate dedicated to ending the corruption of the previous decade. She served as Chairman of the Commission in 1991 and was elected to a second term without opposition. Phyllis served as the first Executive Director of Florida’s welfare-to-work agency under Governors Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush. She was also named a “Public Official of the Year” in 1995 by Governing magazine.

Phyllis Busansky Campaign Video:QuickTime

Opinion:
I have to hand it to Gus, he’s got a lot of momentum on his side. He’s very likely to win. He is however Bush-like in his manner. He doesn’t come across as stupid, but certainly not brilliant either. His rhetoric is rather bumbling which isn’t good for him, but it may not affect his candidacy. His opinions on issues seem very dependent on the resident expert, generals for war strategy and so on. Phyllis has an interesting name to pronounce which could keep her from being discussed as much by the less informed, but seems very intelligent and creative as evidenced by her campaign ads. Both candidates are playing for the retiree and military crowd with similar stances, which won’t help Phyllis because of her more limited funds and because she is running in a district which has been solidly Republican for a quarter century. In addition, the district was a target of redistricting in such a way that the face-down “J” shaped district is not likely to vote democrat anyway.

 

Davises Remarkable Comeback

After a slow start, Jim Davis is getting the Democratic base fired up and Charlie Crist is hampered by a national anti-Republican surge. That combination means the Florida governor’s race is becoming a tight contest in the final stretch.Political analysts from both parties say the past three weeks have been among the best for Davis since he began his run for governor more than a year ago.

Bill and Hillary Clinton recently held separate appearances and fundraisers for Davis. His campaign is running a barrage of television ads in South Florida and other key markets. Polls are showing he has cut Crist’s lead, with one survey showing Davis within striking distance of becoming the frontrunner.

Tightening poll numbers and having a presence on TV make a big difference in a late Democratic push to raise money, said Mitchell Berger, the Fort Lauderdale lawyer who heads Davis’ fundraising efforts.

“When you see momentum on your side of the race, people return your calls,” Berger said. “And that’s what’s happening now. We’ve come from 21 points behind to a statistically dead-even race.”

On the campaign trail, Davis’ allies are scurrying to convince core Democrats they can win in Florida, where there are slightly more registered Democrats than Republicans.

“This is a race between the tortoise and the hare,” Davis’ running mate, Daryl Jones, told a crowd Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale. “We moved along quite slowly, it seemed to some people.”

“But things are changing,” U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, told the group.

Republican political insiders say Davis’ gains are coming too late to make a difference.

“Yes, the race is probably narrowing,” said Geoffrey Becker, a Republican campaign consultant. “But it’s not so much because of any big excitement about Jim Davis. It’s because voters, especially some independents, are excited about kicking out Republicans from Congress.”

Crist’s campaign is making rounds this week through Republican-dominated areas. On the stump, he reminds voters he’s a former quarterback who was coached to not assume victory.
-sun-sentinel-

Wow, is the only word that can describe what Davis and the Democrats manage to do. Just few weeks ago they were down by 21 points, and now they are virtually deadlocked.
Davis proved everyone wrong, including me, by coming back and possibly winning this race. The ones responsible for this recent Democrat success is Republican Party. Crist was way ahead of
Davis for a long time, he had more money to spend…; yet he failed to capitalize of it. The question is why? The answer is somewhat simple and it has to do with Republican Party politics on the national level, or as the article called it “national anti-Republican surge.” So basically Crist is not to blame but the Republican Party in general. Finally, the race is not over yet, it has just started and there is a long way to go. Can Davis pull one of the greatest upsets in this years election? In my opinion it’s simply too late. In other words, there is not enough time for him to take over Crists small lead, but anything can happen in politics so we will have to wait until November 7^th.

 

Foley Molested As A Teen

It seems that the Foley scandal has taken a new turn. Foley’s Attorney David Roth now claims, through Foley, that the former comgressman was sexually abused by a priest when he was in his teens. Foley has refused to come forward with the name of that priest. However, after this statement was made, a man came forward on his own claiming to be  that priest.

Why would Foley choose to come out with this information? In a sense he seems to be trying to justify his actions concerning his incriminating emails. Even though Foley “accepts full responsibility” for his actions, having his Attorney state that he is an alcoholic and had been abused as a child seems to be implying the opposite. Foley seems to want to provide reasons for why he did what he did. Reasons which don’t point to him as the one at fault. Will this help the republicans regain some of their lost support? Perhaps the people will begin to think that Foley was not entirely at fault and that he was just another victim. Although it seems like a very weak defense, in the great mess that was created by the uncovering of this scandal, perhaps its as good a place to start as any in trying to regain ground lost to the Democrats.

If you would like more information on this topic, a more extensive article can be found at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/03/AR2006100300111.html

 

Republicans Can Buy Votes

When it comes to handing out campaign cash this year, the state Republican Party is first in the hearts of Florida’s special interests.State elections records show the Republicans have taken in $27.9 million in contributions this election season, most of the big donations coming from corporations. That’s nearly double the $15.1 million going into the Florida Democratic Party’s coffers.Compared with 2002, the last election with a governorship at stake, the Republican Party is doing worse this time. At about the same point in that campaign period, the Republicans, helped by unusually large donations from out-of-state interests supporting Gov. Jeb Bush, had amassed $37.3 million; the Democratic Party had $10.9 million.                  

-Sun-Sentinel- 10/17/2006

An interesting question regarding this issue is whether money can buy votes;  we will know the answer to this question on November 7th. In my opinion Democratic Party will be in a real trouble in the near future; not just in Florida but nationwide. Why? Well, large corporations will continue growing as will their donations to the Republican Party; therefore it will reach a certain level with which Democrats wont be able to compete. In other words, Republicans would be able to buy votes; thus win the elections.