Pubdate: Mon, 11 Aug 2014
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2014 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/mVLAxQfA
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Author: William E. Gibson
Page: 1A

MEDICAL MARIJUANA DRAWS VOTERS

Getting young people engaged in politics is never easy, but 
voter-registration volunteers say the medical-marijuana amendment on 
November's ballot is attracting new voters who otherwise might not 
bother with a midterm election.

Both political parties for more than a year have been knocking on 
doors to energize supporters who might be lured to the polls by a 
heated governor's race. Democrats are especially eager to avoid the 
usual big drop-off of turnout in non-presidential elections, which 
tends to hurt their party's candidates.

But the wild card this year - the factor most likely to motivate new 
voters - appears to be the marijuana measure, along with another 
constitutional amendment that would provide special state funding to 
conserve environmentally sensitive land. "Young people are very 
unfamiliar with other elections going on but have heard about the 
medical-marijuana amendment and are excited to have an opportunity to 
vote for that," said Anna Eskamani, 23, a volunteer with the League 
of Women Voters who recruited passers-by at a farmers' market in 
Orlando lastweek.

"It's definitely going to be a hot topic that will get young people 
out and, of course, encourage them to vote on other things as well."

The proposed amendment would legalize marijuana for patients 
diagnosed with debilitating health problems. Although it would 
directly affect a relatively small number of people, it has drawn 
widespread interest because many voters see it leading to a broader 
decriminalization of marijuana. A recent statewide poll by Quinnipiac 
University found that 88 percent of voters supported it.

The environmental amendment would devote a portion of state excise 
taxes to conserving land and wildlife.

"It has to do with drinking water and protecting our rivers and lakes 
and the Everglades. That's an issue a lot people do feel strongly 
about," said Lynne Joshi, president of the League of Women Voters in 
Broward County. "With the amendments, we have a chance, especially 
with the younger people, for more people to turn out."

A League forum in West Palm Beach last month to discuss the 
environmental amendment drew enough voters to fill a school auditorium.

"There are always those voters who would not come out and do such a 
thing until they feel there's a direct effect on them," said Geanine 
Wester, the League president in Palm Beach County.

If the parties and registration groups succeed, the 2014 election 
will buck a seesaw trend in Florida marked by wild swings in turnout 
rates among registered voters. Turnout soared from47 percent in the 
2006 midterm election to 75 percent in the 2008 presidential 
election. The rate plunged to 49 percent in the 2010 midterms, then 
rose to 72 percent in the 2012 presidential election.

Most registration campaigns target young adults and Hispanics because 
they are the most inclined to vote in presidential-election years but 
skip midterms.

"In parts of Orlando, Osceola County and South Florida, you don't see 
a drop-off, you see a plunge," said Christian Ulvert, political 
director of the Florida Democratic Party. "You see turnout in areas 
with high Hispanic voters go from 88 percent in a presidential year 
down to 25 or 26 percent in a gubernatorial year."

The party is trying to counter the trend by emphasizing the 
importance of midterm elections.

The Democratic National Comteer mittee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Debbie 
Wasserman Schultz of Weston, also has hired Zach Learner, a Fort 
Lauderdale attorney, to head a Voter Expansion Project designed to 
help overcome voter confusion and perceived barriers. He will lead a 
small army of volunteer lawyers to educate people about voting 
methods - such as early voting, mail-in voting and provisional 
ballots - and to safeguard their rights at polling places.

Many volunteers were inspired by the tumultuous 2000 presidential 
election, decided in Florida after five weeks of recounts and disputes.

"I saw what happened in 2000, and I became concerned that citizens 
were either not going to be able to vote or might not understand what 
they needed to do to allow them to vote," said Jason B. Blank, of 
Fort Lauderdale, a volunattorney ready to advise voters who run into problems.

Republicans, meanwhile, are culling through vast amounts of data on 
Floridians to spot potential like-minded voters who might be inclined 
to support Scott. They call it "the largest micro-targeting project 
in Florida history."

"It's millions of data points on voters that have been assembled, and 
it can help predict which voters are likely to support the governor," 
said Susan Hepworth, communications director for the state Republicans.

Even a slight increase in registration and turnout could tip the 
results of a close election.

"On the margins, the marijuana amendment may bring people to the 
polls who normally wait till there's a presidential candidate on the 
ballot," said Daniel Smith, political science professor at the 
University of Florida. "It may only be a couple of percentage points, 
but that could make all the difference."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom