ORLANDO — Orange County voters who have not yet cast a ballot get their final opportunity Tuesday, when polls open at 7 a.m. for a primary election that could determine who leads county government, oversees public schools and sits on local court benches.
by Kevin Seraaj, OrlandoAdvocate.com Presidential elections get the attention. Local elections control the power closest to home.
Polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. Unlike early voting, residents must report to their assigned Election Day precinct. Orange County’s Supervisor of Elections provides an online tool allowing voters to verify their polling place and retrieve their personalized sample ballot before leaving home.
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Why This Matters
Presidential elections get the attention, but local elections largely control the power closest to home.
The president does not approve the apartment development down the street.
Congress does not manage Orange County schools.
The U.S. Senate does not decide whether a county road is widened or a neighborhood rezoned.
Those decisions are made locally, by city and county officials. Tuesday is when residents decide who will make them.
If you don’t vote, don’t complain.
The ballot is easy to underestimate because it is called a primary.
It should not be.
Every eligible Orange County voter can participate in the county’s nonpartisan contests regardless of political-party registration. Those include races for Orange County mayor, School Board chair and judgeships. Depending on where a voter lives, he or she might also be voting for a County Commission or School Board race.
Four candidates are competing to become Orange County mayor: Chris Messina, Tiffany Moore Russell, Stephanie Murphy and Mayra Uribe.
The office matters because county government makes decisions involving development, transportation, housing, parks, public safety and billions in spending.
If one candidate receives more than 50% Tuesday, the contest ends. If nobody reaches that mark, the top two candidates move to the November general election.
Orange County voters will also choose between Alicia Farrant and Angie Gallo for School Board chair.
The board oversees a district wrestling with teacher compensation, enrollment decline, closed schools and fundamental questions about how public education should operate in an era of expanding school choice and declining federal support.
Judicial races matter too.
Judges make decisions affecting criminal defendants, families, businesses, property disputes and individual liberty, yet judicial candidates are often among the least researched names on the ballot. They should not be.
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
