Voting is a fundamental ingredient to democracy that was established for citizens to make the government an embodiment of their personal views and goals. Every persons vote needs to do just that, speak for what you want to happen, that is why being informed matters. The key to becoming an informed voter is to do a well rounded body of research addressing candidates and issues that you will vote for or against. Below is a list to help get you started:

- Find lots of sources and check their validity.
- Check to see what is going to be on the ballot before you vote.
- Make a list of issues that are important for you and match it up with the candidate’s platforms.
- Understand what amendments mean and which side you are on.


Here is a video on Project Vote Smart ...

... kind of eighties but good none the less.

Charles “In Charge” Crist vs. Jim “The Anti Crist” Davis

Crist
Born 1956 in Altoona, PA
Graduated FSU in 1978
Law Degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, AL
State Director for U.S Senator Connie Mack
Elected Commissioner of Education in 2000
Attorney General of Florida since 2002

Davis
4th Generation Floridian
Graduated from Washington & Lee University
Law Degree from University of Florida Law School
Attorney from 1982-1996
Florida House of Representatives from 1988-1996
U.S. Congress since 1996

Well here are some main points about their platforms ...

Crist
Fighting Identity Theft, Fraud, and Spam
Family Values
Business and Legal Reform
Environment and Economy
Safe and Affordable Medicine
Protecting Consumers from Illegal Profiteering
Safety of Floridians

Davis
Hurricane Protection
School Accountability
Health Care
Minorities
Seniors
Environment and Everglades

Bill Nelson vs. Katherine Harris

Nelson
Current office holder
Party: Democratic Party
Previously was an Attorney
Previously politically: FL House, 1972-78; US House, 1979-91; FL Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, Fire Marshal, 1995-2000
Military Service: USA, 1968-70; USAR, 1965-68, 1970-71
Education: BA Yale University, 1965; JD University of Virginia, 1968
Religion: Protestant

Harris
Party: Republican Party
Previously was a Commercial Real Estate Broker
Previously politically: FL Senate, 1994-98; FL Secy. of State, 1999-2002; US House, 2002-present
Education: BA Agnes Scott College (GA), 1979; MA Harvard University, 1996
Religion: Presbyterian

Here are some main points ...

Nelson
Commerce
Consumer Affairs
Education
Environment
Health Quality
Homeland Security
Seniors Secure
Veterans Issues

Harris
Commerce
Environment
Health
Homeland Security
Reproductive Rights
Seniors
Veterans Issues

The Results for the 2006 Florida Elections are as follows:
Governor: Charlie Crist (Rep.) with 52% of votes.

U.S. Senate: Bill Nelson (Dem.) with 60% of votes.


Amendments:
State Planning and Budget Process – Approved
Requiring Broader Public Support for Constitutional Amendments or Revisions – Approved
Protecting Youth from Addiction and Disease, and other Health Hazards from Tobacco – Approved
Increased Homestead Exemption – Approved
Permanently Disabled Veterans' Discount on Homestead Ad Valorem Tax – Approved
Eminent Domain – Approved

Blamed on not enough voting locations, 46.6% of registered Floridians voted in the 2006 Elections.

All election results and percentages can be found at: http://election.dos.state.fl.us/

Well, in the end this project was fun.

The First Day ... when we started this project we were hoping to provide information on all the local issue, inform people about everyone who is running and basically fill our presentation with as much information as possible, but ...

The Evolution ... we soon realized that was going to be impossible, well unless we had a whole day to give the presentation, so we asked ourselves what information can we give to the class that everyone, we hope, will be interested in. We came up with the conclusion that we should focus on the governor's race, the senate race and the amendments. Why? ...because we knew everyone in the class will have those subjects on their ballots.

In the end ... the project was a success. We were all really happy with our presentation and we were glad with the subject we picked. We were all really happy with our group success and thankful that we completed the task.

Current Mood: cheerful