“Power to the people” has never been put to better use than in two of the constitutional amendments on Florida’s November ballot. They deserve “Yes” from every voter.
Amendment 2 raises Florida’s minimum wage, presently $8.56 per hour, to $10 next September and by a dollar more each year until reaching $15 in 2026. From there it would be adjusted annually according to the consumer price index.
Amendment 3 does away with political party primaries for governor, Cabinet and the Legislature. It replaces them with primary elections open to every candidate and to every voter, regardless of party. The top two winners in each race would face off in the general election. That allows many more people to have their say in who governs Florida.
The present two-party system is more of an illusion than a reality in Florida. The closed-primary system shuts out close to 4 million Florida voters who are neither Democrats nor Republicans. It also allows a candidate to advance from a party’s scrum with little more than 20% of the party’s votes. It also leads to lopsided results. While statewide races for governor and U.S. Senate are closely fought, few of those for the Florida House and Senate are.
Amendment 3 aims to rectify all that.
