Amendment 3 and First Time Voters

ST. JOHNS - There are six amendments on the ballot for the State of Florida for the upcoming 2020 presidential election. One in particular that stands out to many voters. Amendment 3 deals with opening the state primary for state legislators to a top two system.

This amendment, upon first reading, seems like it would benefit the Florida as well as third-party or non-party affiliated groups. If the amendment were just to open the primary, that would be true. However, this amendment establishes a top two open-primary system. A top two open primary lists all candidates on the same primary ballot and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliations, advance to the general election.

The amendment was sponsored by All Voters Vote. According to their website, they "are committed to the proposition that every voter in Florida should have the right to cast a meaningful ballot."

According to the League of Women Voters website, a non-partisan political organization, this amendment “would have a strong adverse impact on African-American representation in Florida.” This is due to the fact that the amendment would require third-party and minority candidates to compete at the primary level to secure a spot in the general election. The League does not support passing Amendment 3.

Surprisingly, the Republican Party of Florida and the Democratic Party of Florida are in agreement on a "No" vote for this amendment.

Early Voters Heading in to Vote Oct. 31, 2020 Photo by Samantha Fitzgerald

First-time voters are likely to read through this amendment and vote yes without doing more in depth research. A few young voters at an early voting site in St. Johns County reflected this assumption. Before looking further into the details of the top two open primary system, Hailey Morton was a definite yes.

Signage Oct. 31, 2020 Photo by Samantha Fitzgerald

“I originally thought that there’s been a few elections before I could vote where I could go either way and I want to be able to vote for my candidate in the primaries whichever party they are.”

However, after reading information about what a top two primary was, she decided that a no vote is the best way to go.

“After doing some research, I realized that the top two primary wasn’t good for minority voters.”

Quang Nguyen is also a first time presidential election voter, and he felt the same way as Morton.

“I thought that an open primary would make the elections easier and more fair, but after hearing the way that a top two system works I definitely don’t want that for the state of Florida," said Nguyen. "I want the primaries to be open, but I still want to have a person from each party on the general election ballot to make it fair to minority voters.”

Michele Collins is a stay-at-home mom who has lived in St. Johns County for several years. She is a registered Republican and an active voter and community member. She dislikes the amendment, as well.

“I feel that Amendment 3 would ruin the system in place where each major party is represented and independents can be added to ballots. I believe that it is more fair and representative the way it is set up now.”

Party Representatives Oct. 31, 2020 Photo by Samantha Fitzgerald

St. Johns County is a predominately white county, with a predicted 87.4% of people identifying as white for the 2020 census. The median age of the county is about 40.7, with a majority of the population being 35 to 64. Additionally, income by households is an average of $142,688, and 30.6% of the population make over $100,000 to $149,999. At the time of the 2016 election, 92,272 of the total 174,159 registered voters in St. John’s County were registered Republican, with 87,002 of them being white, 43,788 white female and 42,653 white male. On the other hand, 40,974 voters were registered Democrat, 31,281 of those being white, with a majority of 18,953 white female and the rest white male.

The 2020 election has had record numbers of early voters coming out to the polls. By the time the general election closed, St. Johns County had an 84.61% voter turnout. This is greater than the 2016 turnout, which sat at 80.51%.

At the time of this story, Amendment 3 did not pass according to the Associated Press. In order to it to be established, the measure needed a 60% yes vote, of which it only got 57%.

However, that is still a majority yes vote. If there was more widespread education on the issues that the Amendments dealt with, besides just the description on the ballot, there likely would not have been high voter approval.

Biden/Harris and Trump/Pence Flags Oct. 31, 2020 Photo by Samantha Fitzgerald

Written by Samantha Fitzgerald

Photography by Samantha Fitzgerald

November 4, 2020