Peter Schorsch
The Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) has sued to get rid of a ballot initiative calling for non-partisan county races, calling it illegal.
The DEC’s suit was filed this week in Hillsborough County Circuit Civil court, seeking the measure to be declared unconstitutional and kept off the November ballot and “all Vote by Mail ballots.”
BayLawsuits.com, which reported the suit Thursday, said DEC maintains “the true motivation behind the initiative was not to increase voter participation in elections but rather to reduce it.
“All five county offices that would be affected by the referendum are voted on in Presidential election years, during which voter turnout is higher, especially among Democrats,” it says. “Historical voting data allegedly show that making those races non-partisan would depress voter participation and aid GOP candidates.
“The Committee says that if Republicans on the County Commission were truly in favor of non-partisan elections, they would vote to make County Commission elections non-partisan, too.
“But County Commission elections take place during non-Presidential years, when overall voter turnout is lower and Republicans tend to dominate. The lawsuit also claims that the ballot initiative violates the county’s charter.”
Another “point of interest”: “A day after Republicans on the County Commission approved (the) ballot initiative … , Commission Chair Sandra Murman, a Republican, announced plans to run for Clerk of Court in 2020, a seat currently held by a Democrat.
“In its lawsuit, the Democratic Executive Committee offered the announcement as further evidence that Murman and her fellow Republicans on the Commission approved the ballot initiative in order to improve GOP chances in future county elections.”
The case number is 18-CA-7097.
