WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE

Unfortunately, many people believe that their vote doesn’t make a difference and, therefore, why bother? And though technically it’s true—one vote won’t necessarily make or break an election—that belief can spread between families and friends and communities and, before you know it, millions are opting out because…why bother?

On the first day of early voting in Florida this year, 366,436 people voted. Four years ago, that number was only 290,000. The presidential election was decided in Florida in 2016 based on less than 120,000 votes.

And while that may sound promising, whoever you’re voting for, remember that we are a swing state. Over 14 million people are registered to vote in Florida, and our wonderfully-diverse state is divided almost evenly between the two major parties plus 3 million people registered as ‘unaffiliated’. On the first day of early voting in Florida this year, 153,743 republicans voted, 154,004 democrats voted, and 58,689 unaffiliated voted. A very small number of people in Florida are likely to make a difference.

I hope you are beginning to see that your vote very well may make a difference in this election. Talk to your friends and neighbors about voting and make a plan, and build your own community of Florida voters.

As an anti-hunger advocate, I know that this election will make a difference on the issues I care about at the federal, state, and local levels. Florida Impact to End Hunger wants to see a strong safety net for our citizens, where Floridians don’t have to rely on food pantries during times of public health emergencies and natural disasters.

We want an increase in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and full implementation of the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program to help households that usually depend on free or reduced-price meals at school, but are now schooling virtually.

What are your top issues, and which candidates will support them?

Please make a plan to vote in the upcoming general election on or, better yet, before November 3rd. If you’ve requested and obtained a mail-in ballot, make sure you drop that off as soon as you can. If you don’t have a mail-in ballot, you can visit an early voting site in your county and cast your vote there.

Early voting began on October 19th and ends on November 1st. The clock is ticking. Vote early!

Finally, if November 3rd arrives and you have not voted, please put on a mask and go vote at your assigned precinct. Detailed information about how to vote can be found at the website of your county’s supervisor of elections here → http://dos.elections.myflorida.com/supervisors/

Click here for some other great voting information for Floridians.

Your voice matters, and your vote counts. Don’t skip this one.

Trudy Novicki

President/CEO

Florida Impact to End Hunger