The Central Debate: Primary vs. General Election
The Escambia County Commission voted 3-2 this week to request an Attorney General’s opinion on its authority to determine which ballot should carry a referendum about electing the school superintendent.
Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger led the charge for maximum voter participation, arguing against the school board’s request to place the referendum on the 2026 primary ballot. “With the primary election, you only get about 23% of the turnout from your voters,” Hofberger said. “I think, as a service to our community, we should consider removing it from the requested ballot to the general 2026 ballot.”
Concerns About Democratic Participation
The timing debate revealed deeper concerns about excluding certain voter groups. Commissioner Lumon May pointed out how the primary timing could disproportionately affect Democratic voters: “Here’s the reality. Unfortunately, I live in a red area, and I’m a Democratic candidate, and we don’t have very many primaries in the Democratic community.”…