A Constitution Revision Commission committee on Wednesday began considering whether to change Florida’s primary election system, including buttoning up what’s known as the “write-in loophole.” That allows a write-in candidate to close a primary. The commission’s Ethics and Elections Committee heard from advocates and some of the state’s elections supervisors, but took no action.
Dozens of sham candidates, some of them living hundreds of miles away from the legislative seats they are seeking, are using a Florida election law loophole to deny roughly 1.6 million voters a chance to participate in upcoming legislative elections. The Tampa Bay Times reported Saturday that 35 candidates have filed as write-in candidates in state Senate and state House races across the state. Voters in 1998 overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that says primary elections are supposed to be…
The Florida Supreme Court takes up one legal issue that arose from the 2014 elections, when they hear arguments next week about residency requirements for write-in candidates. In a case emerging from a Broward County Commission race, justices will determine whether write-in candidates on the ballot should “close” party primaries. Tyron Francois, a write-in candidate, submitted qualifying papers in the race that would have only had Democratic candidates otherwise. At the time, Francois did not live in the district. Republican voter…
