Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

2022 Election

Libertarian Congressional Candidate: Restore Ranked Choice Voting in Florida

Photo courtesy of Joe Hannoush on Facebook.

DAYTONA BEACH – This November’s House of Representatives election will feature only two candidates for District 6: the winner of the Republican primary between incumbent Michael Waltz and challenger Charles Davis, and Libertarian nominee Joe Hannoush. There is no Democratic candidate this year, following the brief second bid of Orange City educator Richard Thripp (who was placed outside of the district by this year’s redrawn map).

Hannoush is the only thing standing between a straight path to Congress for the winner of the GOP primary, and it’s a unique opportunity for the district to have its most competitive showing by a Libertarian candidate yet. How many Democrats will vote for Hannoush versus leaving the race blank or voting Republican will remain to be seen, but Hannoush will have exclusive access to voters seeking to oust Congressman Waltz.

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s the third straight election that Hannoush has entered a bid for elected, having squared off in the District 25 state house race in both 2018 and 2020. He scored 1.7% and 2.3% in each election, good for 1,402 and 2,407 votes respectively. Each time he went up against a Republican and Democratic challenger. This time, he’s collected the requisite signatures to qualify for his first turn on the ballot in District 6.

In a radio interview on WNDB, Hannoush commented on an April decision by the state government to ban ranked choice voting: a system that allows voters to show proportional support for different candidates in an election.

“I think it was the wrong move to ban that,” Hannoush said. “Sarasota actually passed ranked choice voting several years ago. They weren’t able to implement it because there was no mechanism to.”

Sarasota did last year approve ranked choice voting for city races, a measure which would soon thereafter be conflicted by the state bill better known for its creation of an election police force. The bill expressly banned ranked choice voting in Florida, and nullified elections decided as such.

“It gets rid of the…’I have to vote for a Democrat so the Republican doesn’t win, so I can’t vote for you Joe’, and vice versa,” Hannoush added. “This gets rid of that.”

Written By

Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since 2004, as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

You May Also Like

2022 Election

This week’s TalkFlagler podcast guest is Joe Hannoush, the Libertarian candidate for Flagler County’s U.S. Congress seat. In the absence of a Democratic candidate,...

2022 Election

As of right now, Michael Waltz is running without a Democratic opponent in his second re-election bid. According to an announcement last week, Dr....

2020 Election

One year out from the 2020 general elections, one thing is as clear as ever: elections have consequences. Residents of Flagler County are feeling...

2020 Election

The Orlando Sentinel apologized Friday for its September endorsement of Congressman Michael Waltz. Waltz, a Republican, was at the time running for reelection against...