Articles by Steve Hough

Votes are still being counted in several states across the country. Unlike the year 2000, Florida is not in the spotlight. However, Florida should be highlighted as the state where a proposed state constitutional amendment received 57% of the vote but will not be adopted. Amendment 3 proposed the implementation of nonpartisan top-two open primaries to reform the current closed primary system in Florida. A clear majority of Florida voters want to get rid of our closed primaries; yet, since 2006,...

This November, St. John’s County Florida elects a sheriff. It’s an important race as law enforcement culture and training is the subject of local and national debate--except 47.2% of voters in the county will be denied the right to vote -- how could this be? This is the land of the free and home of the brave, where the voice of the people stands above all. They are electing a sheriff and excluding half the county? Florida is a closed primary state. Only Republicans vote in the Republican primar...

For over twenty years, political party insiders in Florida have been conspiring against the voters to stop them from establishing open primaries. But the tide is turning.   In 1998, when independents were starting to emerge as a significant portion of the Florida electorate, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment allowing every voter to vote in the primaries when the winning candidate would be unopposed in the general election. The voters knew then, as they do now, that the ...

Over the past two years, Florida has experienced a flurry of activity aimed at opening our closed primary system to 3.6 million independent voters (called NPA for “no party affiliation” in FL). Beginning in the Spring 2107, Florida Fair and Open Primaries, Inc., partnered with Open Primaries to engage the Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC). The CRC is unique to Florida. It convenes every twenty years to review the state constitution and recommend changes. Despite the fact that open ...

Oftentimes as citizens we say things like “someone should really do something about X, Y, or Z,” or we wonder how some big achievement in history happened, almost as if it happened by magic. But change does not happen magically. It happens when someone (or lots of people) take the initiative to “be the change they want to see in the world” and stand up. In most cases, it is just regular citizens caring enough to not take ‘no’ for an answer. Take Katie Fahey, for example. Katie is a 28-year-old...

The big news coming out of Florida recently was Hurricane Michael. After developing quickly and moving fast, it roared ashore as a strong Category 4 storm. Although my hometown was in the bull’s eye from the beginning, and it never deviated from its projected path, the intensity took many by surprise. It was a harrowing experience, and the effects were catastrophic. Nineteen days later, and while there is still a long road to recovery, power has been restored to most homes and businesses and ea...

FLORIDA - In March 2017, I was asked to assume leadership of the grassroots organization Florida Fair and Open Primaries (FFAOP). The organization was created by Duane Pike, of Tampa, FL in 2012 under another name, but the mission was always to advocate for Florida’s adoption of a top-two open primary. At that time, a couple of events intersected that provided a prime opportunity to build on what Duane had created. I was introduced to John Opdycke, president of Open Primaries, at Independent Vo...

In the immediate aftermath of the Parkland mass shooting, a new element was incorporated into our collective response. The survivors, and families of those killed, began demanding change. Student leaders from Parkland emerged, and these young people channeled their emotions into activism. They insisted that the Parkland school shooting be the last, and directly engaged politicians responsible for ensuring schools be safe. There were visits to legislators and the governor, along with a rally at...

If the recommendations of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Unity Reform Commission (URC) are eventually approved and enacted, will the Democratic Party be “united”? Although fissures always exist within political parties, it appears that the Democratic Party’s coalition has not been this fragile since the Vietnam War. While the Vietnam War eventually ended, it is not clear whether the URC’s proposed reforms will be sufficient to appease Bernie Sanders supporters. Even though the URC ag...