Florida Write-in Loophole Ploy Puts 18-year-old in an Election He Plans to Lose
Campaign to Elect Florida's First-ever Write-in Candidate and to Address the Write-in Ploy Starts Today
STUART, Fla., Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Martin County -- Fed up with the strategy of using write-in candidates to block voters at the polls by closing Florida primaries, The River Guardian LLC has mounted a campaign to elect 18-year-old Chase Lurgio to the District 1 seat as a Martin County Commissioner.
When common sense and conventional methods fail, it takes an unconventional solution to make progress. For Martin County's waterways, and the residents and businesses that rely on them, restoration depends on voters November 8th.
Beginning today, Martin County voters will see billboards urging them to "write-in" Chase Lurgio on the November 8 ballot. Voters and individuals wanting to learn more about how write-in candidates are disrupting campaigns across the state and voice their opinions may access the website at www.WriteInForTheRiver.com, and use newly opened Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts to open a community-wide conversation. This campaign, launching without the candidate's consent, will continue to develop over the coming weeks.
Just before the June 24th, 2016 deadline, high school student Chase Lurgio filed as a write-in candidate for the District 1 seat as a Martin County Commissioner, closing the primary to only Republican voters and shutting out 49% of all Martin County voters. The August primary race between incumbent Doug Smith and new-comer, Sewall's Point commissioner and river advocate Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, was tight, with Smith winning by just 677 votes. Now, only Mr. Smith's name will appear on the November 8th ballot and only voters who actually "write-in" Chase Lurgio's name can cast a vote for him.
A private, Martin County resident founded The River Guardian LLC. The resident is supporting the campaign to make a point about the questionable ethics involved in using the write-in strategy to shut out voters and believes that the existing County Commission has not done enough to support the health of our waterways. The resident believes that Chase Lurgio's campaign is a sham since no effort has been made to communicate his ideas or raise funds for awareness. The resident is not and has not been a candidate for the Martin County Commission and has no business or other financial interests in Martin County.
Across the State, both Republicans and Democrats have used this loophole to secure wins in the primaries, counter to the 1998 amendment that created universal primaries allowing all voters to participate when the winner would not face a challenger in the general election. The River Guardian hopes the next time a politician thinks about using the loophole, he or she will think again.
The Martin County primary appears to be the first race using a high school student. The River Guardian believes that the issue is not with Chase Lurgio, it is with the process that allows candidates like Chase Lurgio to change the dynamics at the voting polls.
While those responsible for this strategy may think they have accomplished their goal and successfully deprived almost half of our county's voters of any alternative to Smith's reelection, The River Guardian believes it's time to send a message that Martin County residents care about their waterways and won't stand for dirty water or dirty politics by writing in Chase Lurgio on election day.
Citizens interested in learning more about the campaign to elect write-in candidate Chase Lurgio can visit the website at www.WriteInFortheRiver.com or email [email protected].
Full Links to Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/writeinfortheriver/
https://twitter.com/writeinriver/
https://www.instagram.com/writeinfortheriver/
FOR MORE INFORMATION
The River Guardian LLC
772-208-8630
[email protected]
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161010/426907
SOURCE The River Guardian LLC
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