[BOT] 2024 General Election Guide

Bot

search:

fast-breaking news analysis about drug policy and illegal drugs

The Story of Your Enslavement (video)
Prison for Profit
The Rise of the Prison Industrial Complex
Prison Profiteers (2013)

Here

Mapinc

This newsbot site, while automated (true!) has always depended on the generosity of volunteers and visitors to keep it up and running. If this site has helped you, and you can afford to help us, then we ask you to give generously. And to those who have been helping to keep us running, a heartfelt THANK YOU! Donate online: click here and help us out!

2024 General Election Guide - Inweekly

Found: Fri Oct 25 18:29:57 2024 PDT Source: Austin Weekly News (Oak Park, IL) Copyright: 2024 Austin Weekly News Contact: ktrainor@wjinc.com Website: http://www.AustinWeeklyNews.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4201 Webpage: http://inweekly.net/2024-general-election-... [translate] Newshawk: http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/

topical analysis prison was NOT mentioned
propaganda analysis

2024 General Election Guide - Inweekly 2024 General Election Guide - Inweekly

* About Us * Advertise

* Contacts

2024 General Election Guide

We know the Presidential race has sucked up pretty much all the air in the room this election cycle. But Florida voters have a lot of key down ballot races and amendments to vote on, too. So, even if you're feeling a little burnt out, we hope you still turn out and make your voice heard.

To help you prepare, we created this election guide. It includes a ballot roundup, complete with links to all the candidates' platform information we could find, plus a cheat sheet for the amendments and details on early voting.

-- Get Your Vote On --

Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned voter, there's still a lot to know before every election, especially when it comes to early voting and mail-in ballot deadlines. So here's some general information every voter needs to know.

aE"Early Voting

Early voting in Florida started Monday, Oct. 21 and continues through Saturday, Nov. 2. Unlike Election Day, when you have to vote at your assigned precinct, registered voters can cast their ballot at the early voting location of their choice.

Early Voting Locations

All are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Saturday, Nov. 2

aE"Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office

213 S. Palafox, Second Floor

aE"Main Library

239 Spring St.

aE"Billy G. Ward Courthouse

7500 N. Century Blvd., Century

aE"Vote by Mail

If you plan to vote by mail, remember your ballot must be received in the Supervisor of Elections Office by 7 p.m. Election Day.

Don't stress too much if you requested a mail-in ballot and find yourself cutting it close to that deadline. You can skip mail altogether and drop off your ballot in person at the Supervisor of Elections office or at any early voting location during operating hours. You can also surrender your mail-in ballot at an early voting location or your precinct on Election Day and vote in person instead. But the key thing to remember is to bring in your mail-in ballot and surrender it. If you cannot return the ballot, you'll have to vote via provisional ballot, and nobody wants that.

Have you already sent in your mail-in ballot? Don't forget to track it online at escambiavotes.gov/track-my-ballot.

aE"Election Day

Polls are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov 5 to vote in person. You must present a photo and signature identification card. Acceptable forms of ID include Florida Driver's Licenses, student and military IDs and U.S. passports. You don't have to bring your voter registration card.

If you need assistance due to a disability or inability to read or write English, you are entitled to assistance in voting. You may bring someone with you, or poll workers from different political parties will assist you. If you aren't sure where to go, you can use the "Find My Precinct" tool on the Supervisor of Elections site to find your precinct -- escambiavotes.gov/where-to-vote.

And remember -- if you're in line when the polls close, you still get to vote. So don't leave just because the clock strikes 7 p.m.

Election Protection

We are pretty lucky here in Escambia County to have a decent number of polling sites and typically short wait times to vote. But voter suppression is still an issue and could happen anytime, anywhere.

Don't just walk away if you experience a problem while trying to vote. Try going to the Supervisor of Elections office and asking them what's up. Or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) -- it's a nationwide non-partisan election protection hotline.

Ballot Breakdown

R-Republican, D-Democrat, NPA-No Party Affiliation, I-Incumbent

-- FEDERAL RACES --

kamalaharris.com/issues

Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat (Libertarian Party)

votechaseoliver.com/platform

Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia (Party for Socialism and Liberation)

votesocialist2024.com

Randall Terry and Stephen Broden (Constitution Party)

constitutionparty.com/randall-terry-for-president

Peter Sonski and Lauren Onak (American Solidarity Party)

Jenori Burroughs

electjenori.com

-- JUDGES --

You are voting on whether to retain these judges. A "yes" vote means they stay in office, and a "no" vote means the governor must appoint a new judge.

aE"FLORIDA SUPREME COURT

supremecourt.flcourts.gov/justices

Justice Renatha Francis

Appointed by Gov. DeSantis in 2022

Appointed by Gov. Scott in 2016

Florida Amendments

Six proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution are on the ballot this election. The Florida Legislature has proposed most. However, Amendments 3 and 4 were proposed through the state's petition process, which required 891,589 signatures each to get on the ballot.

The state has added financial impact paragraphs from the 2023 Financial Impact Estimating Conference to the sections for Amendments 3 (recreational marijuana) and 4 (reproductive rights). The statement accompanying Amendment 4 has been highly controversial. A circuit court judge ruled that the initial financial impact statement was legally defective and ordered a new one be written. The state appealed, arguing that no court could review the ballot statements, no matter how inaccurate or misleading. The new financial impact statement wasn't much better. However, the First District Court of Appeal and Florida Supreme Court refused to rule on whether the courts should also review the new statement. After failing to get a court hearing, the ACLU of Florida pointed out, "The unlawful financial impact statement appended to Amendment 4's ballot summary does not alter the effect of Amendment 4, which, when passed, will provide crucial protections to limit government interference with abortion."

In Florida, passing an amendment requires the support of at least 60% of voters. Only two other states require 60% or higher: Illinois and New Hampshire.

We know this part of the ballot can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Our advice is to study what each amendment is actually proposing so you don't get hung up by the language. To help you do just that this election, we worked up a breakdown for each amendment that includes the most common "for" and "against" arguments and what a "yes" and "no" vote will mean.

AMENDMENT 1: PARTISAN ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARDS

For: Because public education has become polarized, school board elections have already become partisan.

Against: Partisan school board races exclude NPAs (No Party Affiliated voters) from voting in primaries and increase political polarization.

What Your Vote Does: "Yes" changes school board elections to partisan elections beginning in 2026, requiring the candidate's political party to be designated on the ballot and triggering closed primary elections. "No" keeps primaries open for all voters.

AMENDMENT 2: RIGHT TO FISH AND HUNT

For: This enshrines the right to hunt and fish in the Florida Constitution and ensures fishing and hunting will never be banned.

Against: If we already have a statute protecting the right to hunt and fish, why does this need to be placed in the Constitution?

What Your Vote Does: "Yes" establishes a constitutional right to hunt and fish in Florida and makes them the preferred means of responsibly managing and controlling fish and wildlife. "No" preserves those rights established in 2002, just not in the Constitution.

AMENDMENT 3: ADULT PERSONAL USE OF MARIJUANA

For: Tax revenue from the legal cannabis industry will reach over $4 billion in 2025. No evidence from the 37 states that have legalized marijuana shows that it increased underage consumption in the regulated marketplace. Florida law already bans smoking in public areas, so Gov. DeSantis' complaint of smelling pot everywhere isn't valid.

Against: Opponents claim the amendment is misleading, and marijuana is illegal under federal law and will remain illegal even if it passes. They also assert it gives the corporations growing, distributing and selling marijuana a monopoly.

What Your Vote Does: "Yes" legalizes recreational marijuana use in Florida by adults 21 years old and older, allows individuals to possess up to three ounces of marijuana and authorizes existing Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers to acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute marijuana products and accessories. "No" keeps the recreational use of marijuana illegal in Florida and maintains the current regulations for medical use.

AMENDMENT 4: LIMIT GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE WITH ABORTION

For: The Florida Legislature has made abortions nearly impossible, even if the woman's life is in danger and the pregnancy isn't viable. Doctors face possible felony charges and loss of their medical licenses. Supporters believe Floridians deserve the freedom to make personal medical decisions, free of government intrusion. The amendment does not change the Legislature's constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.

Against: Opponents say the amendment is too vague and will lead to an unregulated abortion industry. However, it's not unusual for an amendment to lack definitions, and not having them doesn't prevent any limits to abortion rights.

What Your Vote Does: "Yes" overturns Florida's six-week abortion ban by essentially reinstating the restrictions of Roe v. Wade, which provided federally protected abortion access until a fetus is viable. If passed, abortions could not be prohibited, penalized, delayed or restricted before fetal viability, typically considered around 24 weeks of pregnancy, or when a health care provider determines it's necessary to protect the patient's health. "No" keeps the current six-week ban in place.

AMENDMENT 5: ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE VALUE OF CERTAIN HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS

For: Homeowners who qualify for a homestead property tax exemption will pay less property tax. The exemption would increase each Jan. 1 if the Consumer Price Index also increases.

Against: The amendment would reduce revenue available to cities and counties by millions of dollars.

What Your Vote Does: "Yes" reduces the property taxes on primary residences and the tax revenue available for county, city and special district programs and services. "No" leaves the homestead exemption as is.

AMENDMENT 6: REPEAL OF PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FUNDING

For: The money could be better used for other programs, such as education, health care and housing, rather than political campaigns.

Against: The matching fund program gives small-dollar donors a greater voice and encourages candidates to seek support from broad groups of voters. If the program is repealed, wealthy donors and special interest groups would no longer be limited in the amounts they can contribute.

What Your Vote Does: "Yes" ends Florida's public campaign financing program and removes spending limits for publicly funded candidates for Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Agriculture. "No" means no changes to the program or spending limits.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY REFERENDUM

CONTINUATION OF ONE-HALF CENT SALES SURTAX TO FINANCE EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES FOR TEN (10) YEARS

For: Since 1997, the Escambia County School Board has levied a one-half cent sales surtax to fund new construction, renovations and additions to existing schools, land acquisition and improvements to schools. The voters have approved each 10-year renewal because of the belief that sales taxes are a better funding source than property taxes.

Against: The School Board has closed or consolidated 19 schools in mostly Black neighborhoods.

What Your Vote Does: "Yes" begins another 10-year period for the sales tax, beginning Jan. 1, 2028, for all public schools. "No" ends the tax at the end of 2027, forcing the School Board to find other funds for its construction projects.

Additional Resources

We read a lot of other guides and visited tons of candidate websites while making this issue. So if you're looking to do some more research before voting, here are a few additional resources we learned something from.

League of Women Voters of Florida Non-Partisan Voter Guide

lwvfl.org/vote2024

Life Is Hale's Hood Voter Guide '24

lifeishale.com

NAACP Florida Voter Guide

naacp.org/resources/florida-voter-guide

Escambia County and Florida Voter Guides

Both can be found on escambiavotes.gov, under the "voters" tab on the homepage.

Campaign Finance Reports

The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office has the campaign finance reports of all local candidates on escambiavotes.gov under "candidates." Reports for state and multi-county candidates can be found at dos.fl.gov/elections under "Resources: Candidates, Campaigns & Committees." The financial reports for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives candidates can be found at fec.gov/data.

Florida Bar Retention Poll

This poll asks in-state Florida Bar members to rate judges and justices up for retention votes every two years. It is a great resource if you want to learn more about the judges on your ballot.

Spread the love

Author: admin

analysis of article text

prohibitionist	prohibition_agency	drugwar_propaganda	legalization	drug_reformer
reform_referenda	cannabis	stimulant	narcotic	hallucinogen

incarceration/prison mentioned? NO - the issue of prison or incarceration was NOT mentioned in this article .

propaganda analysis

EXP - explicit prohibition propaganda (explicit_propaganda)	GRP - hated group (propaganda_theme1)	MAD - madness, violence, illness (propaganda_theme2)
SOC - survival of society (propaganda_theme3)	USE - gateway, use is abuse (propaganda_theme4)	KID - children (propaganda_theme5)
WAR - demonize, war, epidemic (propaganda_theme6)	TOT - total prohibition (propaganda_theme7)	DIS - dissent opposed (propaganda_theme8)

text of article used for CRITICAL ANALYSIS, under FAIR USE provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107, et al.

media charts

Bot's analysis of: "The Dangers and Consequences of Marijuana Abuse" the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Demand Reduction Section, May 2014
more >>

Newsbot crossword puzzles!

Drug War
Propaganda

A review and analysis of modern prohibition rhetoric

Amazon Kindle

html (free)

pdf (free)

Wonder Drug Cover-Up: Yes, it's true: pot fights cancer. more

As Bad For Your Lungs As Smoking 20 Normal Cigarettes? 20 times more likely to cause cancer than tobacco? Why does the US Government make cannabis researchers use only Government-issued marijuana?

Observer's Propaganda Picks
dripping with drug-war propaganda!

Prohibition-era cartoons
Anti-prohibition political cartoons from Prohibition I.

Support Mapinc & Drugsense

Donate to drugsense please give generously!

article tags

analysis of article text

incarceration/prison mentioned? NO - the issue of prison or incarceration was NOT mentioned in this article .

propaganda analysis

Drug WarPropaganda

Drug War
Propaganda