ACLU wants voters to focus on ‘low-profile’ area contests Sheriff, state attorney, elections supervisor on ballot in Broward
The American Civil Liberties Union in Florida is launching a new effort to put civil rights issues at the forefront of voters’ minds in this year’s elections, with a special focus on elections for sheriff, supervisor of elections and state attorney in Broward County.
With so much attention going to the presidential election, it’s important to bring attention to races that otherwise might not get much attention from voters, said Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Florida.
He announced plans for “ACLU Justice Voters” in an online news conference Thursday, with a focus on “high-power races that are low profile.”
The ACLU is focusing on Broward and Orange counties. Some of the Orange County races also include Osceola
County.
Broward County is going through a major transition in critical, elected positions:
■ State Attorney Mike Satz, who was first elected in 1976, is retiring.
■ Supervisor of Elections Peter Antonacci is an appointee, serving out the final 13 months of former Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes, who held the office since 2003.
■ The appointed sheriff, Gregory Tony, is facing off against the man he replaced, former Sheriff Scott Israel and several other candidates.
■ Although it’s not on the ACLU list of jobs it’s focusing on, the county will soon get a new public defender. Four-term incumbent Howard Finkelstein is retiring.
The jobs the ACLU is focusing on “exercise a great deal of power, have enormous ability to influence civil liberties and civil rights, but often fly below the radar,” Kubic said.
Leading up to the Aug. 18 primaries and Nov. 3, general election, Kubic said the organization would push candidates for answers on issues and show comparisons to voters through advertising, social media, candidate forums and direct contacts with voters. “We’re going to use every tool there is to make sure voters are very clear about the comparisons between these candidates,” he said. “Democracy is strongest when there is an informed electorate.”
The key subject areas are justice system reforms, immigrant rights and voting rights.
The political bent of the ACLU is clear from the way Kara Gross, state legislative director, outlined the importance of the highlighted offices.
State attorneys, she said, “are among the most powerful people in the criminal justice system. They have an incredible amount of discretion in determining who is charge with offenses, who goes to jail, who goes to prison, whose charges get dismissed ... The state attorneys are very responsible for this mass incarceration problem and can be incredibly helpful in ending this mass incarceration problem if they choose to do so.”
The Broward County Chapter of the ACLU and the Broward League of Women Voters are holding an online forum for candidates for state attorney and public defender. Organizers said almost all the candidates have agreed to participate.
The event is at 6 p.m. May 11 and will be streamed on the league’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ BrowardLWV/. More information is at go.peoplepower.org/e vent/action_attend/21931