Florida Republicans have a Presidential Primary. Democrats do not. And while neither holds any significance, the dichotomy has generated tremendous hand-wringing online.
The situation means that far more Republican voters are participating in elections, including potentially many local ones.
The latest report from the state shows nearly 731,000 registered Republicans already voted either by mail or at early voting sites. By comparison, barely more than 45,000 Democrats have done the same. More than 20,000 no-party or third-party voters have already cast ballots.
That's maybe to be expected. While Republican Donald Trump already clinched the GOP presidential nomination before Florida's Primary arrived, his name appears on a ballot with six other candidates, including Gov. Ron DeSantis. All have suspended their campaigns.
But the Florida Democratic Party canceled its Primary and said only one candidate was considered for the nomination: incumbent President Joe Biden.
Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell has heavily criticized the decision to cancel the Primary.
"As expected, Republicans kept their massive early voting advantage. What's making Dems anxious: The November implications," he said.
"This gives the GOP a HUGE head start on voting by mail heading into the general. We're talking greater than 10-to-1. Another benefit to holding a primary."
Of course, most Republicans voting are likely doing so in jurisdictions with no other races on the ballot. But even in some Democrat-heavy areas, the vote has been lopsided. In Broward County, nearly 19,000 Republicans have voted by mail compared to fewer than 5,000 Democrats. In Palm Beach County, more than 26,000 Republicans voted by mail compared to fewer than 17,000 Democrats.
Regardless, state Democrats have defended their decision. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the party also has other mechanisms in place to help municipal candidates and others down-ballot.
"Last month, we launched our Take Back Local program to spotlight candidates running in competitive municipal elections and since then, we have been organizing on the ground to earn every vote," she said.
"We know that local elections are decided by razor thin margins, that's why we are mobilizing targeted grassroots efforts in localities where we have opportunities to flip seats or protect Democrats in contested races — because this is where we can make the most impact. We are taking back our state from the bottom of the ballot to the top of the ticket — that is how we will build the momentum and infrastructure we need to win in November."
Of note, the vast majority of cities in Florida hold their elections at other points of the year.
But some cities with a concentration of local March races are in Democratic areas. Orange County, for example, has six cities holding elections for local Councils, Commissions and mayoral seats Tuesday.
By comparison, Republican-rich Southwest Florida has one municipality holding an election today — Naples — across 10 counties.
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