{"id":3274,"date":"2026-07-19T19:11:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T19:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=3274"},"modified":"2026-07-19T19:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T19:11:14","slug":"the-florida-primary-ballot-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=3274","title":{"rendered":"The Florida primary ballot mess"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I moved to warm and sunny Florida in 2012 after retiring from the CIA, having lived in Reston, Virginia (aka the People\u2019s Republic of Reston), since 1986. I have friends back there who complain to no end about what Virginia\u2019s new governor is doing. That\u2019s a story for another time.<\/p>

Read more A toast to history: A dozen decades that led us to now<\/a><\/p>\n

Moving to Florida meant a new lease on life. I get to play golf year-round, write stuff to my heart\u2019s content, and make sculptures. Bob Gualtieri, the sheriff of my county, works hard to keep us safe.<\/p>\n

As do many other states, Florida allows mail-in ballots. I got mine yesterday, in time for the August primary. I looked at the details and noticed a logic flaw right away. How \u201cthey\u201d missed it is a mystery. Or, maybe not, considering the mess Common Core made of basic logic. Florida adopted CC along with most of the country. A terrible, awful, very bad decision.<\/p>\n

What logic flaw?<\/p>\n

The first item on the ballot is the Senate race. I\u2019m a registered Republican, so my ballot shows only Republicans running for that job. Here is the verbatim language on the ballot\u2014it\u2019s in English and in Spanish, but I\u2019ll only show you the English version.<\/p>\n

United States Senator<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Vote for One)<\/p>\n

Chris Gleason<\/p>\n

Ashley Moody<\/p>\n

Neelam Taneja Perry<\/p>\n

Ernest \u201cErnie\u201d Rivera<\/p>\n

Easy peasy. Several people are running for one job.<\/p>\n

The next item is the Governor\u2019s race. Here, things are more, um, complicated.<\/p>\n

Governor and Lieutenant Governor<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Vote for One)<\/p>\n

Jay Collins<\/p>\n

Byron Donalds<\/p>\n

James Fishback<\/p>\n

Jim Holcomb<\/p>\n

Arthur Joseph McCaffrey<\/p>\n

Daniel Nokovich<\/p>\n

Paul Renner<\/p>\n

Rachel Rodriguez<\/p>\n

James W. Shaw<\/p>\n

Caneste Succe<\/p>\n

Bobby Williams<\/p>\n

Let me reiterate that the \u201cvote for one\u201d is paired with a heading stating \u201cGovernor and<\/em> <\/strong>Lieutenant Governor.\u201d With that in mind:<\/p>

Read more River otters, broken eagles, and God<\/a><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s say I pick Collins.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Does that mean he\u2019s running for both jobs?<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yes, because of the word \u201cand\u201d on the jobs list.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How can I vote for Collins only<\/em><\/strong> as governor when two jobs are listed?<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What does \u201cOne\u201d mean in \u201cVote for One\u201d?<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One person or One job?<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It can\u2019t mean \u201cOne job\u201d because two jobs are listed.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How will the counting machine know which job I intended for Collins?<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How can I \u201cVote for One\u201d when two jobs are listed?<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0 Is everyone on the list running for both jobs?<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0 \u00a0Is anyone running for both jobs?<\/p>\n

Makes your head spin, don\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

I contacted the County for clarification and learned the following:<\/p>\n