Hoping to avoid the lazy voter

Emptying my brain this week of all election-related activity because after next week, no one is going to care:

— Voter turnout so far is at 45%. About half of all registered Democrats and nearly half of all registered Republicans voted early or by mail.

Elections Supervisor Maureen “Mo” Baird is hoping for an 80% turnout, which would be pretty cool. Though I wonder about the other 20%. What registered Citrus Countian is sitting out this election, and why?

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— There’s a significant difference between the primary voter and the general election voter. And it potentially affects the outcome.

The primary voter is a motivated voter. There are no national races on the primary ballot. It’s generally local-focused. Primary voters are out to make a statement. These are true voters, the ones who would never think of letting an election pass by without casting a ballot.

General election, not so much. Voter turnout is twice that of the primary. It’s heavy on national/state and very little local. Voters are more likely to pick sides based on political affiliation.

The general election voter is somewhat of a lazy voter. The Republican/Democrat races are easy to pick, but what happens after that? 

Take a look at the ballot. There are 23 choices, not including city council races. Of those, only the first six are partisan races. Some voters will stop right there, leaving the Supreme Court justice merit retention to the rest of us.

Candidates on the losing end are the non-partisan local races: School Board, Mosquito Control Board, City Council. They fall on the ballot AFTER judicial merit retention and just before the constitutional amendments. That’s no man’s land on the ballot.

— Observation, for what it’s worth: The presidential race has a more Democratic presence in Citrus County than Republican. Can’t believe I’m saying that. Where are all the Trump Republicans? Where’s the Trump Train?

I was discussing this Monday morning with a friend. Trumpism was everywhere around here four years ago. Now it’s, oh, I don’t know…quiet? It’s not like we have fewer Republicans. I’m not sure what to read into that.

— Some candidates don’t follow all the rules, and their opponents complain to me about it. The biggest one is candidates in nonpartisan races invoking a partisan moniker. Those candidates are to steer clear of labeling themselves with a D or R, yet I have a mail piece from an Inverness City Council candidate that includes a photo of him with Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (a true Cootertober champion).

Maybe I’m getting old, but I have trouble getting excited about stuff like this. Same thing with residency requirements. However, one thing to know: Candidates who skirt on campaign rules are likely to exhibit the same win-at-all-costs behavior in office. We call those folks one-term wonders.

— Been checking the campaign finance reports, and nothing much there. I noticed that County Commission District 5 incumbent Holly Davis started a political committee in September called “Preserve and Prosper Coalition” with Beverly Hills CPA Michael Tringali.

The group’s stated goal is to “elect Citrus County Republicans and nonpartisan candidates with conservative ideals.” It has $2,000 — $1,000 from Tringali and $1,000 from Floridians for Economic Prosperity, a Tallahassee political action committee. Other than bank fees, no expenses.

Not sure what Davis had in mind here. The only purpose of a political committee is to collect and spend money. It doesn’t actually DO anything. While it has the same giving limits to candidates as anyone else — $1,000 max per donor — there are no limits on how much the committee can receive.

No opinion. Just pointing it out.

— Finally, a plea on behalf of the folks holding campaign signs outside some of the early-vote sites. They’re sitting out there in a lawn chair all day, hoping to get a vote in their candidate’s favor.

I’m hearing reports that some passersby are not nice. They tend to behave particularly badly if seeing campaign signs for specific candidates. Middle fingers and obscene language on the quiet streets of our little towns.

C’mon, Citrus County. We are better than that. Much, much better. Folks who feel the need to flip off a woman whose only crime is holding a candidate’s sign might want to rethink their purpose in life.

We’re a week away. Let’s keep our wits.

Have a terrific Tuesday, friends.

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