A General Guide to the Election Ballot

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Published on Friday, 02 November 2012 17:46

The ballot for Ave Maria residents is long, with votes for political offices, judges, ballot questions and proposed state constitional amendments.

For those who haven't yet voted, the following might prove helpful.

General Guide to Understanding Your Florida Ballot

It’s highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with the ballot before going to the polls. If you weren’t sent a sample ballot in the mail, you can download a PDF version here.

The Basic Structure of the Ballot

                It’s in English and Spanish, which adds to its length.

                It includes …

Political Offices: This section is fairly straightforward and requires little explanation.  All of these candidates have web sites, so you can investigate on your own as you choose.

Election of County Court Judge:  Summaries of the candidates and their experience may be found in the Naples Daily News. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/oct/29/retirement-age-judge-turner-mcgarity/.  These candidates also have their own web sites.

Judicial Retention:

The three Supreme Court justices - The reason this retention vote is getting a lot of attention is because, although Florida justices face a retention vote every six years, it’s rare that they face a true retention battle as they do this year.  Conservative groups are campaigning against what they feel are three activist judges. 

For arguments AGAINST retention: www.Restorejustice2012.com

For arguments FOR retention: defendjusticefl.com

The Four District Judges - There are no organized campaigns either for or against their election.

Question Regarding Funding for Collier County Public Schools: Does not directly affect taxes, but allows the Collier county School Board to move money from a fund for capital expenses, such as buildings and payment of debt, to operating funds for things like paying more to teachers.  A Yes vote provides this flexibility, a NO vote does not.

Proposed Amendments to Florida Constitution:  Eleven proposed constitutional amendments are on the ballot. 

All Florida Catholic bishops are urging YES votes on Amendments 6, regarding abortion, and Amendment 8, regarding government funding for church-run institutions such as Catholic schools. Statements in PDF form from the bishops are here for Amendment 6, and here for Amendment 8.

 For a complete summary of ALL proposed Constitutional Amendments and what they mean, go to:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-10-13/story/florida-constitutional-amendments-voters-guide