A vintage Palm Beach County voting booth,
used in the historic election of 2000.

Florida has a longstanding tradition of unusual elections. It’s part of Florida’s heritage and charm. Where would our nation be had it not been for the hanging and dimpled chads that helped to determine the outcome of the historic election of 2000? What would the ramifications have been if the kind-hearted people of Florida had not had the opportunity in 2002 to vote to amend the state constitution to improve the living conditions of pregnant pigs? The chads are gone, and we may never again see a constitutional amendment that compares to the pregnant pig measure. Where will it all end?

Article 4 of Florida Statute 99.095, the part of the statute pertaining to write-in candidates, was passed by the Florida legislature after due consideration in 1998. Furthermore, The Florida Supreme Court recently agreed, unanimously, with the Florida Court of Appeals that write-in candidates are genuine candidates, regardless of their likelihood of winning. Nevertheless, many, including the Editorial Board at the Florida Times-Union and other news organizations, want to do away with write-in candidacies.

I urge the citizenry of the great state of Florida to remember that quirky elections are one of the state’s most distinctive features. In almost every election cycle, elections in Florida generate more attention than elections in other states. Do Floridians really want to lose that? Do we really want to have elections that are as boring as the elections in any other state? If Floridians lose the right to run for high office as write-in candidates, we will all be one step closer to two party tyranny.

As for me, give me write-in candidacies, or give me death!

Here are a few links to contrasting opinions. Considering the high ethical standards of the Florida Legislature and the unerring wisdom of the Florida Supreme Court, there's not much chance of a change to the election statute in the near future.