Considering that I didnāt cast a ballot for U.S. President back in 2016 (and took a lot of heat for it, from friends and readers on both ends of the political spectrum), it should come as little to no surprise that I did not vote for either President Donald Trump or former Vice-President Joe Biden (or any other candidate) this year.
Oh, just as I did in 2016, I still voted, I just didnāt feel, in all good conscience, that I could vote for either of these two men to lead our country for the next four years.
āWell, that means you canāt complain if you donāt like who ends up getting elected,ā is what many of my detractors told me in ā16.
I countered that, as an American citizen, I have the right to do anything I want (as long as itās legal), I just felt again that I would rather let the rest of the country decide between two candidates I canāt personally support ā which also is my right.
And, just to repeat myself, just because I didnāt cast my vote for Trump or former First Lady Hillary Clinton in ā16, or Trump or Biden this year doesnāt mean I didnāt vote. I did vote for the local and state candidates I felt I could support ā some of whom won and some who lost last time ā and I again feel pretty good about most of the people and amendments I did support.
And yes, I have now voted this year ā by a mail-in ballot that I requested and received from Pasco Supervisor of Elections Brian Corleyās office. I had no desire whatsoever to vote in person and, based on the lines from Day One at Pascoās early voting locations, I donāt want to drop off my ballot, either.
Covid-19 has affected so many aspects of our daily lives and although Iām still wearing a face mask everywhere in public I do go, way too many of you arenāt doing the same, so even with my vote, I still feel I need to do everything I can to protect myself.
As for who Iām voted for in some of the other elections on the Nov. 3 ballot, Iād rather not say, but Here is how I voted on all six Amendments to the Florida Constitution that also were on my ballot ā several of which I have fairly strong feelings about:
On Amendment 1, I say Yes, you should have to be a U.S. citizen to vote in any election, although I foolishly thought it was already a requirement nationwide.
On Amendment 2, considering the cost of living these days, I donāt feel that even $10 per hour is much of a living wage, and As a small business owner, I have no problem with the $1-per-hour-per-year increase through 2026, so Iām voting Yes.
On Amendment 3, I feel very strongly that in Primary Elections, only registered Republicans should vote for Republican candidates and Democrats for Democratic candidates, unless there is no opposition candidate, which is the system we currently have in place, so Iām voted No on changing that.
On Amendment 4, I feel that we already have too many such amendments to deal with every year, so to require any amendment to have to be approved in two elections gets a hard No from me. Iām not really 100% sure how I feel about Amendment 5, but I voted Yes because I believe that homeowners (even though Iām not currently one) should get as much benefit as they can since owning a home continues to only get more expensive.
And finally, I also feel that any spouse of any deceased or disabled veteran should get as much benefit as possible from their spouseās service, so Iām voting Yes on Amendment 6.
Even if you disagree with everything Iāve said here, I hope youāll also exercise your right to vote in this very important General Election.
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