In 1998, voters approved an initiative with 64% of the vote that when candidates run unopposed in the primary, all voters can vote in what is the defacto general election.
Subsequently, then Secretary of State Katherine Harris wrote in an opinion that write-in candidates registered as members of the party that isn’t fielding a candidate can close the primary.
Political insiders of both parties have been openly and brazenly perpetuating this fraud on Florida voters for over twenty years. The Write-In Loophole reverses the will of the voters in passing the Universal Primary. It’s one of the worst abuses of voter rights in the country today.
Every election cycle the Florida press reports on races where the write-in loophole was used to shut out voters. But no one has ever looked at the scale of these abuses. Until now.
We took a deep dive into the largest ongoing act of voter suppression in the state of Florida-studying races for Congress and state legislature over the 25 year period that the Universal Primary Amendment has been in place.
What we found was shocking.
How legitimate are these write-in candidates? Decide for yourself.
How extensive is this corruption? How many other races-from statewide offices, to county commissioners, to city council and more-have been affected?
Our research raises more questions than answers, and we hope it can serve as the foundation for more extensive inquiries.
One thing, though, is clear. We must close the write-in loophole permanently if we are to protect voters, democracy and the rule of law in Florida.
Researcher Bio:
Paul Rader is a nonpartisan political analyst, researcher, and speaker whose work seeks to bridge the public’s knowledge gaps about politics, close the partisan and ideological divide, and increase citizens’ political efficacy and interest in politics and public policy. Paul is also a self-published author, writing and publishing his first book, Why Independents Rarely Win Elections: And How They Could Become More Competitive, in 2021, and he writes a Medium blog from time to time.