In August, from US Senate and House to Governor, state cabinet positions, County Commission, School Board, Judges and more, Florida will hold a Primary Election to determine who moves on to November’s midterm General Election. Noon last Friday was the close of qualifying to run for those positions.
We now have a list of all who qualified to be on the ballot. They either paid a filing fee or gathered enough signatures to meet the requirements to enter the contest. And, while they have met the requirements to be on the ballot, it’s up to us to determine if they are actually qualified to serve.
That’s where the work comes in, for them and for us. For them it’s the slog of the campaign. Preparing campaign material like TV, radio and print ads, deciding when to run them, knocking on doors and talking to voters in their homes, the dreaded and often dangerously done sign waving campaigns, speaking engagements at forums small and large and media appearances all done in an effort to convince us that they are actually qualified to hold the positions they seek and would be the best choice for us as voters to make.
It’s no bed of roses for voters. Our mailboxes and media will be inundated with information and prodding to make each candidate the one we select. I used to stack up the mailers and at one time thought of making a wall in my office a tapestry of campaign material touting some candidates and tearing down others. Then, I decided I didn’t have the stomach for the daily visual.
It would be different if there were truth in campaigning laws that were strictly enforced or a mandate that such materials were required to list actual qualifications and experience for the job sought. We have no such luck.
Instead we get platitudes of patriotism and positions that many times have nothing to do with the ability to do the coveted job. It’s salesmanship, or worse, attempts at deriding the opposition as someone closely aligned with Satan and undeserving of public trust. Those are the worst. And, if a candidate is running on experience and ability (yes, some actually do), the material often seems bland or lacks the flash to engage far too many of the electorate.
If candidates can’t tell me their actual skills and abilities to do the job, why should I trust the analysis they provide of the opposition?
Yet, voters can make the call if we are willing to put in the work required to make a good decision. Incumbents have a track record of how they campaigned and how they actually performed. It’s out there for any of us to see. Candidates new to the political realm have their life experiences at work and in our communities that provide us with a baseline understanding of their skills and whether those skills translate to performing should they be elected.
There is qualified and then there is qualified. We get to make the call, but to get it right, we owe it to ourselves and our neighbors to do the work to ensure we elect capable officials.
I hope we are up to the task.