On 4 November, at Southeast High School, LWVMC Voter Services Chair Terri Kondos presented a program on Voting Literacy and a summary of the considerations of the Florida constitutional amendments and Manatee County referenda that were on the 2024 ballot. The students that chose to then anonymously voted yes, no, or undecided. The results were posted. If it were up to the students:
- Amendment 1, partisan school board elections, would have failed at 17%
- Amendment 2, right to hunt and fish, would have failed at 56%
- Amendment 3, recreational cannabis, would have passed at 80%
- Amendment 4, limit government interference in abortion, would have passed at 87%
- Amendment 5, homestead exemption adjustment, would have passed at 73%
- Amendment 6, repeal public financing for political campaigns, would have failed at 39%
In the actual election, three of the six Amendments (numbers 2, 3, and 4) fared differently than these future voters would have chosen, demonstrating at a local level how young voters vote differently than older voters. This program sparked student interest, helped them understand the voting process and appreciate the important issues that are decided in elections. Their teachers were able to then discuss with them how their preferences on the Amendments compared to actual Election Day results.
