Why the November election matters right now | Steve Bousquet

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Here’s why: The 2024 election is six months away.

And while it’s become a cliché that this is the most consequential election of our lifetimes, who would argue that this one truly qualifies?

Democracy is at stake. Donald Trump could get elected again — a realistic possibility that’s almost beyond comprehension. Abortion and women’s health are on the ballot, and because of that, Democrats have a rare opportunity to be relevant again in Florida.

O.K., so November is six months away. Why should you be thinking about it now?

Here’s why: You have to vote, and you should be asking for a mail-in ballot now, for both the Aug. 20 primary and the November general election.

As of this week, in Palm Beach County, 163,000 mail ballot requests for November were on file, with more than half of them from Democrats, a positive sign for that party in a key battleground county.

Broward’s elections website reported 151,000 requests as of Friday.

Something is not right with these numbers. Broward has far more voters than Palm Beach, and has nearly 200,000 more Democrats, so the Broward numbers should be significantly higher than those in Palm Beach — and they’re not.

So a lot of work remains to be done to build up the vote-by-mail numbers in the state’s largest Democratic county.

Your request for a mail ballot will show grassroots enthusiasm, and as the election draws closer, you will get more attention from the candidates.

The Republican-controlled Legislature changed the law so that vote-by-mail ballot requests are valid only for the next election — not the next two elections as before.

It was done for a specific reason. Voting by mail is more popular with Democratic voters, and by forcing them to work harder to get a mail ballot, Republicans hope it will mean a drop-off in requests and fewer votes cast.

These early numbers are not definitive, but they suggest that the GOP strategy is working.

But Democrats see the abortion referendum as the key to the election, and six months out, there were a number of political developments this week.

Vice President Kamala Harris came to Jacksonville to campaign in support of Amendment 4, the abortion rights amendment, and to rail against Florida’s new six-week abortion ban, which took effect Wednesday, the day of her visit.

Harris said the “Trump abortion ban” in Florida creates an unprecedented “fight for freedom” in the third-largest state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis laughed off Democrats’ talk of Florida being competitive. He cited the Republicans’ growing superiority in voter registration and President Joe Biden’s “failed leadership and failed policies” as both creating huge hurdles for Democrats.

“I think it’s a very uphill climb,” DeSantis said.

There were rumblings in Tallahassee, first reported by FloridaPolitics.com, about a possible special legislative session at which the GOP majority might try to clutter up the ballot and confuse voters with a competing abortion question.

That requires three-fifths supermajorities in both houses, or 24 senators and 72 House members. The six-week ban passed the Senate, 26-13, and the House, 70-40. Some Republicans will not want to touch the abortion issue so close to an election.

Another week went by and no one stepped up to challenge state Sen. Erin Grall, the Vero Beach Republican who sponsored the six-week abortion ban.

Grall represents a deep red Senate District 29 that cuts across parts of Indian River, St. Lucie and three other small, inland counties, but if the six-week ban is so reviled, why won’t anyone take her on?

This is part of why the Florida Democratic Party has put up billboards around the state to recruit candidates against Republicans. The message is: “You’re already a leader. Run for office.”

The party has a special webpage to answer questions from people who might consider running this year.

Democrats fielded candidates in all 28 congressional districts, even in places where, statistically, the party has no chance of victory. The only member of Congress who did not draw opposition was a (gasp) Democrat, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Miramar.

Six months out, it’s hard to tell if Biden is truly serious about fighting for Florida, or merely paying lip service to Florida supporters.

Biden gave the first abortion rights speech of his campaign in Tampa last week, but when his campaign put out a long blast about progress in six key battleground states, including New Hampshire and North Carolina, Florida was not mentioned.

Why does it matter? Here’s why: This is a turning point for Florida Democrats, and for the future of the state and the country.

Steve Bousquet is Opinion Editor of the Sun Sentinel and a columnist in Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale. Contact him at sbousquet@sunsentinel.com or (850) 567-2240 and follow him on X @stevebousquet.