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POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
Recapping 2020 Election Results
by: Melissa Lupton, VP of Governmental Affairs, Bay County Chamber of Commerce
The 2020 has certainly been a year of change with no exception to the results following the November elections. This article will give you a recap of local, state, and federal results with an inside look at what changes are to come and how it affects you, your business, and your community.
Let’s start with statistics. Bay County saw roughly 75% of the 124,653 registered voters hit the polls during the November 2020 election with just over 93,000 ballots cast. While voter’s decision on how to cast their vote may have been different than year’s past that didn’t stop citizens from paying their civic duty. Some 28,446 individuals cast their vote by mail this year.
Incumbent and new candidates have taken office. These include President Joseph Biden, who lost the popular vote in Bay County. Others being Congressman Neal Dunn and Representative Jay Trumbull both reelected into their positions and newly elected County Commissioner, Doug Moore took office in November filling an unexpired term for District 4.
The retention of Supreme Court Justice Carlos G. Muniz, District Court of Appeal Judge Joseph Lewis Jr., Judge Scott Makar, Judge Rachel Norbdy, Judge Tim Osterhaus, Judge Clay Roberts, and Judge Adam S. Tanenbaum passed. Also elected were John P. Smith, Beach Mosquito Control District Seat 3; David Holt, Lake Powell Community Development District Seat 1; and Jeremy Robinson, Lake Powell Community Development District Seat 4.
Bay County citizens were also called to vote on six statewide ballot measures amending the Constitution in Florida. There were four citizen initiatives and two referred by the Florida Legislature. Two of the four citizen initiatives were passed with both Legislature items passing.
Amendment 1 was approved and has changed the constitution to state that only citizens, rather than every citizen, who are 18 years old or older can vote in federal, state, local, and school elections in the state of Florida.
Amendment 2 was designed to increase Florida’s minimum wage from $8.56 in 2020 to $15 by 2026. This amendment passing means that each year minimum wage will increase by about 10% each year until reaching the $15 mark. Florida will now become the first state to increase the states minimum wage to $15 per hour through a ballot measure implementing the highest minimum wage rate of any ballot measure as of 2020. While the popular vote in Bay County was not to pass, the amendment ultimately passed throughout the state.
If passed, Amendment 3 would have established top-two open primaries, meaning all candidates for an office, including party nominated candidates would appear on the same primary ballot. The two candidates that received the highest votes would advance to the general election. If only two candidates qualified, no primary would be held, and the winner would be determined in the general election. The popular vote in Bay County was to pass this amendment, however, in the end the amendment was defeated.
Also defeated in the general election was Amendment 4, requiring future constitutional amendments to be passed twice. The proposal would have applied the current threshold for passage to each of the two elections.
Both Amendments 5 and 6 were referred by the Florida Legislature concerning property taxes. Amendment 5 increases the period during which a person may transfer “Save Our Homes” benefits to a new homestead property from two years to three years. Amendment 6 allows a homestead property tax discount to be transferred to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran. Both of these amendments were passed on a local level.
