provided to The Santiva Chronicle
The Sanibel League of Women Voters encourages all registered voters to cast their ballot in Florida’s Primary Election on Aug. 23. Many important races will be decided that day, including the Lee County School Board which governs the island’s school.
Sanibel and Captiva registered voters have the opportunity to cast their votes for both a District 1 School Board candidate and also a District 6 candidate (the at-large seat).
The Florida State Board of Education sets mandates in many areas, but the local boards of education maintain the power to oversee, represent and advocate for local needs and interests. The Lee County School District has 119 schools (one on Sanibel), more than 99,000 students, 12,000 employees and operates with a $2-billion budget.
The School Board Primary (a nonpartisan race) is especially important as a candidate can be elected to office in the Primary Election if the candidate receives 50 percent plus one additional vote. This means voters who do not participate in the Primary may not have a voice in the vote for School Board (as the seat may have already been decided before the general election on Nov. 8).
Ballots can be submitted by mail (if enrolled in vote by mail) or by voting in-person on Aug. 23 at your designated precinct on Sanibel which will be at either the Sanibel Community House or the Sanibel Community Church (in-person voting for Captiva voters is now at the Sanibel Community House).
In-person Early Voting runs from Aug. 13-20 but Sanibel and Captiva voters must go off island if they wish to cast an early in-person vote. Voter registration can be checked at www.lee.vote to ensure voting information is correct and to determine your voting precinct as it might have changed.
Florida is a closed primary state. Partisan races such as the Gubernatorial, Senatorial and Congressional seats require voters to vote according to their registered political party. Only the partisan candidates who are the same party of choice will appear on the ballot. Anyone registered as an NPA or if a party has no candidate on the ballot, a vote may not cast for a candidate from another party and they will not appear on the ballot.
Non-Partisan Primary races, such as those candidates running for the Lee County School Board, are open to all voters, whether registered as a Democrat, Republican, Independent, NPA or any other party. All of the non-partisan candidates will appear on the ballot without regard to political party affiliation.
Take the time to review Primary candidate websites provided at www.lee.vote.
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