There has been much excitement in the state of Florida involving the 2018 primaries and its candidates. For example, in Broward County, it was estimated more than 23.5 percent of registered voters participated, doubling the number of voters in the last non-presidential election.
Yet even with all the momentum, there are some Florida locals who didn’t cast ballots in the primaries. In fact, during this election season, most of the attention is focused on who voted and why. But there is a question that most don’t ask: Who didn’t vote in the primary and are they now willing to cast their ballot in November?
To answer this question, we hit the streets and asked South Florida locals why they didn’t cast a ballot in the primaries and why they are ready to vote this November.
The answer was uplifting.
Voter after voter expressed that having someone who they felt inspired and connected to has made a difference for them to make every effort of casting their ballots in November.
“I didn’t get a chance to vote in the primary because I am trying to make ends meet right now, but definitely in November I’ll be voting for Andrew Gillum. He will be a great governor because he believes in putting our future and kids first,” stated James Lockett from Broward County.
Ultimately, voting determines more than which candidate wins or loses. It influences which policies the elected officials enact and whose interests candidates ignore and acknowledge. Andrew Gillum is inspiring communities of color in Florida to not only believe in change once more, but encouraging them to take action by uniting the vote for change in November.