Will No Party Become THE Party?

Columnist Sadie Fitzpatrick

Left or right. Red or blue. Donkey or elephant. Identifying as a Democrat or Republican has long been the manner in which we classify individuals based on their political beliefs.

This decision to choose a side, however, is becoming more nuanced.

With the national political climate rife with tension between the left and right, election officials locally are noticing an uptick in voters registering or switching to No Party Affiliation (NPA).

Wesley Wilcox, Marion County Supervisor of Elections, has recently noticed this increase among new and existing voters in Marion County.

“Statewide, the two major parties are still growing, but not growing at the rate of NPA. We are definitely seeing this area grow,” said Wilcox.

Some might confuse NPA with being an Independent, however, NPA is entirely different, meaning “a person is registered to vote without a party affiliation…that voter’s record will reflect no party affiliation and/or NPA,” according to the Florida Division of Elections website. While there is an Independent Party of Florida, these two designations, NPA and Independent, are not the same.

In Marion County, between January 1, 2021 and January 27, 2022, 6,592 people changed their party affiliations (including minor parties) of the 265,393 registered voters in our county. Of those changing their party affiliations, 2,342 changed their party affiliation from Republican or Democrat to NPA.

Florida is a closed primary state, meaning in partisan contests in a primary election a voter may only vote for the candidates of the party in which they are registered.

Those registered as NPA are not eligible to vote for partisan candidates in a primary election unless a Universal Primary Contest (UPC) occurs. A UPC takes place if all the candidates for an office have the same party affiliation and will have no opposition in the general election. All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote for any of the candidates for that office in the primary election.

If a UPC occurs, the contest will appear on all ballot styles (REP, DEM and NPA).

A UPC contest for Marion County Commission District 1 occurred during the 2020 Primary Election, with Craig Curry eventually winning the seat. Since all candidates in this contest were running as Republicans and would face no opposition in the general election, it opened the contest up to all qualified voters.

All registered voters regardless of party affiliation are entitled to vote on non-partisan candidates and issues such as constitutional amendments, judicial races and school board elections.

In a general election, all registered voters receive the same ballot regardless of their party affiliation and are eligible to vote for any candidate.

When asked if NPA was merely a trend or is set to become the norm, Wilcox noted, “It’s not necessarily just trendy. It’s now maintained a stronghold. As the population ages, the younger population tends to skew more NPA because they’re more in the middle of the parties. They can pick and choose the topics that are important to them, not whole-scaling saying that’s what they believe in by choosing one party or another.”

As of January 2022, those registered as NPA in Marion County are predominantly between the ages of 18 to 45, with the majority in the 18 to 25 age group.

I am hopeful this increase in NPA registrations could one day serve as an antidote to the divisiveness our country and our county have experienced in recent years. It would diversify the political landscape in our county, giving a voice to a variety of concerns, not just those with a liberal or conservative agenda.

And perhaps it would erase the preconceived notions and often unfair stereotypes associated with the two major parties and would instead focus on “people issues” rather than “party issues.”

In Ocala/Marion County, these “people issues” would focus on providing adequate resources (waste collection, water, healthcare and education) to our burgeoning population and protecting the pastoral lands that have put us on the map.

Regardless of your party affiliation, 2022 is an important year for local, state and national elections. Your vote is your voice. Use it.