skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

State Attorney Calls Florida's Write-In Loophole a Scam

play audio
Play

Monday, January 15, 2018   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida's Constitution Revision Commission could give voters a chance to end the practice of allowing write-in candidates to close a primary during an election. Some argue the write-in provision amounts to fraud that can be exploited by a candidate.

Twenty years ago, voters decided that when only Republicans or only Democrats run for an office, everybody should be allowed to vote in the primary in that race. But Florida's Division of Elections determined write-in candidates without a party are real contenders, which allows them to close the open primary.

Speaking on The Rotunda podcast, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said the practice is used to disenfranchise voters.

"The write-in candidates are used to manipulate the system to prevent people from voting. It's a scam,” Aronberg said. "It's something that the party bosses and the political consultants employ to limit the number of voters in every election."

Sometimes, a lobbyist, a close friend or a family member of a candidate will offer themselves as a write-in, just to keep non-party members from voting in the primary.

Aronberg said he hopes the commission will let voters decide to ditch the write-in loophole. He is advocating for an amendment to the constitution that would let all voters participate in a primary if there is no other general election opposition or if the only opposition comes from write-in candidates.

"A write-in candidate doesn't fill out anything more than a piece of paper to get on the ballot,” he said. "There is no fee, there are no petition requirements. Write-in candidates rarely get any votes, they've never won, and they are really just used to close out primaries, to thwart the will of the voters. "

Aronberg said the effort to close the loophole requires another amendment to the constitution because both Democrats and Republicans benefit from the ability to close a primary.

The commission also is considering a separate amendment that would open the state's primaries to a system in which voters, regardless of party, can cast ballots for candidates, regardless of affiliation. If a proposal successfully passes the commission, it will then need support from 60 percent of voters at the polls.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021