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PRIMARY ELECTION ISSUE #3 (of 4)

With Voting Recommendations
In This Issue:
page
Absentee Ballots Coming Soon ................................1
Vote every line on your ballot! .................................. 1
Florida Voter PurgeBeware! ............................... 1
Responsible Citizens ............................................... 2
How We Can Overcome
The Citizens United Decision? ................................. 2
Districts and Precincts ............................................ 2
The Judicial Branch: .......................................................... 3
Interesting Considerations
For Electing and Retaining Judges ...................... 3
The Affordable Care Act Benefits ............................ 4
Primary Election Candidates ...........................5
How To Reduce Annoying Phone Calls ................... 6
July 10, 2012 SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH EVERYONE Number 17
Absentee Ballots Coming Soon!
Absentee ballots for the Primary Election
will be mailed to you July 11. But its not too
late to request one if you havent done so already.
Phone the Supervisor of Elections at 561-276-
1226. It only takes a minute.
Verify Your Voting Status Now! - If you
havent already done so, check to make sure
the Supervisor of Elections office has your voter
registration and mail ballot request. Registration.
elections.myflorida.com/CheckVoterStatus or
1-866-868-3321.
See the list of candidates running for contested
races starting on page 5.
Candidate Forums - Local Democratic Clubs
have held Candidate Forums for every candidate
for every race. Candidates have had a chance to
speak and club members have had a chance to
ask questions of every candidate. Based on the
candidates presentation of themselves and based
on their answers to questions from club members,
some clubs have voted to give their support to the
candidates who made the best impressions.
Vote every line on your ballot!
Many times, voters have told me they only voted
for the candidates at the top of the ballot. They
felt they werent well-informed enough to choose
further down. If you dont vote every line on your
ballot you earn a D in Citizenship.
[Continued on page 2, PURGE]
Avoid Floridas New Voter Suppression Laws.
VOTE FROM HOME
Florida Voter Purge Beware!
If you receive the following letter, dont ignore
it! You may be stopped from voting if you dont
respond.
Your supervisor of Elections office has received
information from the State of Florida that you are not
a United States citizen; however you are registered to
vote.
If you agree with this information, please complete
the enclosed Voter Acceptance or Denial of Eligibility
Form. If you believe that this information is false,
you may request a hearing with the Supervisor of
Elections, for the purpose of providing proof that you
are a United States citizen.
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And . . . we have to overcome the results of the
Supreme Courts Citizens United decision.
How We Can Overcome
The Citizens United Decision?
In this election cycle, an obscene amount of
money will be thrown into advertising. You will be
inundated by ads trashing Democratic candidates.
Independent and impartial studies have reported
that every ad by an unknown source contains at
least one lie in it.
[PURGE, continued from page 1]
The enclosed Voter Eligibilty Form must be completed
and returned to the Supervisor of Elections Office
within thirty (30) days. Failure to submit this form
within thirty (30) days may result in the removal of
your name from the voter registration rolls. You will
no longer be eligible to vote, until you can provide
proof that you are a United States Citizen.
The goal of this letter is to make it hard for seniors,
young people, people of color, and anyone else who
might vote Democratic in the coming elections.
If you get this letter, be sure to respond!
Responsible Citizens
Our democracy depends on informed voters. A
non-vote is the equivalent of voting for the other
candidate. In 2010, non-voting Democrats were
the cause of turning Florida red. Non-voting
Democrats elected Rick Scott of Florida (Mr.
Sue-To-Overturn-Obamacare), Scott Walker of
Wisconsin (Governor Union-Stripper), John Kasich
of Ohio (Governor Break-The-Back-Of-Organized-
Labor-In-The-Schools.), and Virginias Robert
McDonnell (Governor Vaginal Probe). All these
Governors refuse to consider raising taxes on
the obscenely rich. All are intent on destroying
the middle class and sociopathically creating an
America which consists of the ultra rich and the
ultra poor.
ABC News reports: Campaign ads
want viewers to think theyre just
exposing the truth that voters need to
hear, but a new study finds campaign
attack ads from outside groups are
about 85 percent false.
Your job (as the saying goes: If you choose to accept
it) is to overcome misinformed voters by sharing
the ABC News Report and by voting every line in
your ballot! Remember, the rich have lots of money,
but they only have one vote. We can easily outvote
them and their chosen candidatesbut we have to
ignore their attack ads and we have to vote!
Districts and Precincts
US Senate District - The United States Senate is
the upper house of the two legislative chambers of
the United States, and together with the United States
House of Representatives comprises the United
States Congress. Each U.S. state is represented by
two senators, regardless of population. Senators
serve staggered six-year terms.
The Senate has several exclusive powers not
granted to the House, including consenting to
treaties as a precondition to their ratification and
consenting or confirming appointments of Cabinet
secretaries, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, federal
judges, other federal executive officials, military
officers, regulatory officials, ambassadors, and
other federal uniformed officers, as well as trial of
federal officials impeached by the House.
Congressional District (US House of Represen-
tatives) - The United States House of Represen-
tatives is the lower house of the two legislative
chambers of the United States, and together with
the United States Senate comprises the United
States Congress.
A congressional district is a body of voters that
elects a single member of a congress. There are
435 congressional districts in the United States
House of Representatives, with each one repre-
senting approximately 600,000 people.
State Senate District - The Florida Senate is the
upper house of the Florida Legislature. The Senate
is composed of 40 members representing an equal
number of districts, with each district having an
average population of 470,032.
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State House District - The Florida House
of Representatives is the lower house of the
Florida Legislature. The House is composed of
120 members representing an equal number of
districts, with each district having an average
population of 156,677.
School District - Under Florida statute, each
county comprises a school district. Additionally,
there are four laboratory schools (operated
by Florida A & M University, Florida Atlantic
University, Florida State University, and the
University of Florida), the Florida School for
the Deaf and Blind, and the Florida Virtual
School, provided for under statute, and the
Okeechobee Youth Development Center, which is
administered through the Florida Department of
Juvenile Justice by a private contractor. In total,
there are 74 districts in the state: one for each of
the 67 counties, one each for the four research
schools, one for the school for the deaf and blind,
one for the virtual school, and one for the youth
development center.
The Judicial Branch
The judicial system of Florida and Palm Beach
County consists of the Florida Supreme Court, the
Appellate Courts, and Circuit and County Trial
courts.
Supreme Court Justices
And Appeals Court Judges
Supreme Court Justices and Appeals Court
(Appellate) Judges are appointed by the
Governor from a list recommended by a
Judicial Nominating Committee.
Appointments last six years, after which the
names are placed on the General Election ballot
in November for merit- retention. Voters vote
yes or no whether to retain individuals on the
bench, based on their performance.
Voters always ask: How do I know whether
to vote yes or no on merit-retention? The
easy answer is: Was the Governor who
appointed them a Democrat or a Republican.
To easily learn this go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Florida_
Supreme_Court_Justices
Trial Court Judges
Circuit Court Judges and County Court
Judges are elected by the voters in non-
partisan elections.
The County Court has jurisdiction over
designated misdemeanor cases, small claims,
ordinance violations, certain traffic infractions
and civil cases up to $15,000.
The Circuit Court - Most criminal and civil
cases originate at the Circuit Court level. The
Circuit Court handles cases over $15,000.
Interesting Considerations For Electing
and Retaining Judges
Trial Court Judges are elected in nonpartisan elections.
Supreme Court and Appeals Court Judges are
appointed by the Governor. The governor appoints
them from lists submitted by Judicial Nominating
Commissions, which screen candidates and make
recommendations based on the merits of applicants.
Newly appointed judges go before voters for the first
time within two years after their appointment. If the
voters retain them, they then go on the ballot again
every six years.
Heres the conundrum: Judges must retire when
they turn 70 (but they can finish a term as long as
it is halfway over before they reach 70). If they will
turn 70 before the middle of their term and run
for their seats and lose, they would be ineligible to
serve as senior judges, who fill in for sitting judges
when they are ill or at conferences. If they retire
before age 70, however, they may serve as a senior
judge.
If they run for their seat and retire when they
become 70, the Governor appoints their successor.
Depending on whether the sitting Governor is
conservative or liberal, the appointee will most
likely be conservative or liberal.
So as a Democrat, do you vote to retain a very
good judge so she may serve as a senior judge after
retiring, or are you concerned about a terribly
conservative Republican Governor replacing the
good judge with a conservative judge who may
serve for the next 30 years!
Dont you walk away from that
vote! People died for the right to
vote! Reverend Jesse Jackson
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Authorized and Paid for by The Palm Beach County Democratic Party
Elections 2012
Mark Your 2012 Calendar!
Primary Election
Mail Ballots Arrive About July 12
Early Voting: August 4-11, 2012
Primary Election: Tuesday, August 14, 2012
General Election
General Election Day: Tuesday, November 6, 2012
The Supreme Courts decision
to uphold the Affordable Care Act ensures
that hard-working middle class families get the
security they deserve and protects every American
from the worst Insurance Company abuses.
The Affordable Care Act
June 28th, 2012
www.PBCDemocraticParty.org
To Subscribe, please send an email request to:
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Editor: Dan Isaacson
Assistant Editors: Robin Blanchard, Allen Robbins,
Nancy Morse, Debra Oberlander
An educational newsletter to keep
you up-to-date on voter issues.
Share The Democratic Voter with
friends and have them subscribe
today!
Take action! Join the Democratic Party!
Call: 561-340-1486
Every Dollar Counts!
All donations appreciated, Thank you!
Send your Contributions to:
Palm Beach County Democratic Party
8401 Lake Worth Road #132
Lake Worth, FL 33467
[To unsubscribe, send an email request with Unsubscribe in the
Subject line to: SubscribeDemVoter@gmail.com]
Absentee Ballot Requests
Made Before January 1, 2011
Have Now Expired
To get your absentee ballot:
By Phone: Right now, before you forget,call your
Florida Supervisor of Elections at 1-866-308-6739
and request an absentee ballot for all the elections
through 2014. Your vote is important!
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U. S. Senator
Glenn A. Burkett
Bill Nelson (incumbent)
[Denotes official designation by the Florida
Democratic Party]
U.S. House of Representatives
District 18
Jerry Lee Buechler
Jim Horn
Patrick Murphy
District 22
Lois Frankel
Kristin Jacobs
Florida State Senate
District 27
Mack Bernard
Jeff Clemens
Florida State House
District 81
Steve Perman (incumbent)
Kevin Rader
District 87
David Michael Kerner
Mike Rios
District 88
Charles Bantel
Evelyn Garcia
Bobby Powell, Jr.
Nikasha Wells
U. S. CONGRESS
Democratic Primary (Partisan)
STATE LEGISLATURE
Democratic Primary (Partisan)
County Commission
District 5
Mary Louise Berger
Steven H. Meyer
Rick Mark Neuhoff
District 1
Christine Jax
Sheriff
*Ric L. Bradshaw (incumbent)
Joe Talley
Cleamond Lee Walker
Property Appraiser
*Robert S. Weinroth
Supervisor of Elections
*Susan Bucher (incumbent)
Nelson Woodie McDuffie
Caneste Succe
[*Denotes support by the Boca Raton & Delray Beach
Democratic Club. Donates support by the Democratic
Club of Greater Boynton.]
COUNTY COMMISSION
Democratic Primary (Partisan)
SCHOOL BOARD
Non-Partisan
CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS
Non-Partisan
Primary Election Candidates
Partisan races: Florida Democratic Party rules prohibit endorsement in a partisan race when two Democrats
are running for the same seat. In a partisan race, if only one Democrat is running for a seat with no competitor,
his/her name is not listed on the Primary ballot, but will appear directly on the November ballot.
In non-partisan races: When only Democrats will be considered, candidate support/endorsement is
permitted by state party rules. Democrats may not support/endorse candidates from other parties. County
Democratic Clubs can hold candidate forums so members may meet and hear all candidates and vote on
which candidates they would like to support.
Theres a difference between
wanting something to stop and
wanting to stop it. Woody Guthrie
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Clerk of the Circuit Court
Sharon Bock (incumbent)
Lisa Epstein
Tax Collector
Pete Carney
Anne M. Gannon (incumbent)
Circuit Court Judge
Group 2
Jody Lane
*Timothy McCarthy (incumbent)
Group 9
Ron Alvarez (incumbent)
*Jaimie Goodman
Group 26
Margherita R. Downey
*James L. Martz (incumbent)
County Court Judge
Group 4
*Peter M. Evans (incumbent)
Kenneth Duane Lemoine
Group 6
*Edward A. Garrison
Jane Frances Sullivan
SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICTS
Non-Partisan
JUDGES
Non-Partisan
Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District
Seat 5
Steven Mark Engel
Felipe Martinez
Indian Trail Improvement District
Seat 2
Gary G. Dunkley
Seat 4
Michelle Damone
Kenneth E. Hendrick
Northern Improvement District
Seat 4
John Philip Cohen
Port of Palm Beach
Group 1
Joseph D. Anderson
Wayne M. Richards (incumbent)
[*Denotes support by the Boca Raton & Delray Beach
Democratic Club. Donates support by the Democratic
Club of Greater Boynton.]
COUNTY CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS
Democratic Primary (Partisan)
SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICTS
Democratic Primary (Partisan)
How To Reduce Annoying
Phone Calls and Mail
Almost as soon as you vote, candidates know they no longer have to try to
convince you, so phone calls and mail will stop. Thats a good reason to vote by
mail (or early). If you vote by mail, calls and mail will not annoy you during the
next month until Primary Election Day.
Its not too late to request a mail ballot. Just phone the Supervisor of Elections
Office at 561-276-1226 and ask for a mail ballot. It only takes 2 minutes to do it.