Monday, July 21, 2014

Election dates in Lake Worth

A General Election is held in November of every even-numbered year. The Primary Election for nominating party nominees for the General Election is 12 weeks before the General Election. Additionally, a Presidential Preference Primary is held no earlier than the first Tuesday in January and no later than the first Tuesday in March of Presidential Election years. Special elections may be called at any time during the year. The election dates for 2014 are:

Primary Election........ August 26, 2014
General Election........ November 4, 2014

Depending upon who is sitting on the dais, our election month has been changed twice now in the last 8 years or so.  It was in March then it changed to November by vote of the people.  Those voting 7 years ago totaled 3,548 with 53.66% voting YES to November elections. Then this commission got a hold of it, convincing the voters that March was best after all and put it on the ballot in 2013 to move elections from November to March.

What the commission said at the time: "We want to improve voter turnout." It passed with 58.88%. This was also the downtown heights amendment where voters won at the polls who wanted to keep our downtown low-rise. This commission found a way to not honor the will of the people. They should have done the right thing.

Everyone went brain dead in five years or the turnover of voters was that great in our small city because the electorate again voted and it was changed back to March. The only time now that we don't get to vote in March is when this commission finds it advantageous to have an election at some other time. And that's exactly what they're doing with the General Obligation Bond--first, they will target the renters and all those who pay little in taxes. Next they are having this election on August 26 when few are here or notoriously do not go to the polls. So much for improving voter turn-out.

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