The Broward Democratic Party is offering guidance to voters in the upcoming primary election on Aug. 20.
Good luck, people. If this “voter guide” was meant to unify Democrats behind their candidates, it had the opposite effect. Some people are furious at party leaders.
Candidates, volunteers and operatives are scrambling to figure out why some Democrats were listed and others were not. Some complained directly to state party chair Nikki Fried.
Operatives who cried foul suspect that one factor — money — determined why some Democrats in contested party primaries were listed and others were not.
“I don’t think the DEC (Democratic Executive Committee) should come out with a card,” said Barbara Effman, long-time president of the West Broward Democratic Club in Sunrise. “It’s very divisive.”
The most glaring case of the party not playing straight with its voters is the race for a state Senate seat.
The guide initially listed Barbara Sharief as the only Senate candidate in Southwest Broward’s District 35. Neither of her opponents, Rodney Jacobs and Chad Klitzman, were listed.
Why? No one’s talking.
We asked Democratic Party chairman Rick Hoye why, and he texted this reply: “We are of course sorry that not all candidates are happy with the recommendations we posted. (They) were decided by the campaign committee and in accordance with the Florida Democratic Party’s bylaws.”
But a Democratic source questioned that, noting that the Broward party has lacked a quorum at four straight meetings in the past year as bylaws require for any endorsement action, and that less than 80% of its precinct committee positions are filled. Just as outrageous, the party membership never approved this guide — just a few insiders in a proverbial smoke-filled room.
Under intense pressure, party leaders reportedly scrubbed the list and added Jacobs and Klitzman.
But the version on their Facebook page still excluded them and listed some judicial candidates who are not registered Democrats. Florida judicial races are officially nonpartisan, and judicial candidates are prohibited from discussing their party affiliation or from making partisan appeals.
Parties have no business endorsing candidates in contested primaries or playing favorites by listing some candidates and shunning others. This is a party that supposedly stands for fair elections? Voters should demand answers from Hoye.
Political parties typically endorse their incumbents, but the Democratic guide makes no mention of Clerk of the Court Brenda Forman, who has twice been elected countywide and is the only Black woman holding countywide office.
The guide lists only Charles Hall Jr. for clerk. (For the record, the Sun Sentinel endorsed Hall, but fair is fair. It’s outrageous for the Democratic Party to ignore Forman or a third Democrat for clerk, Annette Daniels.)
The guide looks like an endorsed slate, but it isn’t. It’s a mess. It lists all four candidates for sheriff, but only two of four for U.S. Senate. It’s not a slate card by a traditional definition, because it does not favor only one candidate in each race. It’s not a true voter guide, either, because it ignores some candidates.
As a result, the guide lacks credibility. But it will be given out at early voting sites starting Aug. 10 and circulated by volunteers.
By comparison, the Broward Republican Party’s voter guide lists its endorsed candidates only. It’s more straightforward.
It’s impossible for voters to be familiar with every candidate in every race. A fair voter guide would list every Democrat on the ballot, or at least explain to voters in clear, transparent terms why some Democrats were left out. This is precisely why some voters are suspicious of party insiders and their antics.
The “Official Democratic Party Voter Guide” was approved by a county party campaign committee, based on its “endorsement policy” that defines whether a candidate is in “good standing” in the party. One nebulous standard is “actions taken by the candidate in support of issues core to our values.”
Klitzman was outraged that his name was initially left off the guide, even though he’s a board member of a party caucus, the Broward Democratic Jewish Caucus, and has personally donated money to numerous Democratic candidates.
Alfredo Olvera, the party’s state committeeman and a campaign committee member, declined to discuss the internal workings. Nor did he defend the guide — another sign that this fiasco never should have happened.
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.
