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First Liberty Voter Guide & Polk County FL Sample Ballot w/Suggestions

If values voter vote and encourage their friends to do the same, this election could be a landslide. Don't leave it to chance or polls-VOTE!

L. A. "Tony" Kovach, Neighbor

Posted Fri, Oct 25, 2024 at 11:51 am ET|Updated Fri, Oct 25, 2024 at 12:01 pm ET

First Liberty Institute base image credit. Text and collage credit: L.A. "Tony" Kovach for the Patch.

According to the First Liberty Institute is the following.

Are you a faith voter? Do you want to know how President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have approached the issues that matter to you?
First Liberty has a side-by-side comparison of their records. Here’s a quick look at how both candidates fare on religious liberty:
Donald Trump and the Trump Administration on Religious Freedom

Created a religious liberty task force at the U.S. Department of Justice
Provided religious exemptions from the contraceptive mandate
Advocated for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment
Supported wedding vendors and faith-based foster care providers in Supreme Court cases
Strengthened religious liberty protections in the military

Kamala Harris and the Biden/Harris Administration on Religious Freedom

Find out what's happening in Lakelandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Introduced a bill to weaken the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Opposed religious exemptions from the contraceptive mandate
Co-sponsored the ‘Equality Act,’ which some view as the most serious threat to religious freedom ever considered by Congress
Opposed free speech for religious wedding vendors and business owners
Opposed a landmark Supreme Court ruling that held Americans do not lose their religious freedom when they open a business

Our legal experts also break down how Trump and Harris approached the Supreme Court, judges, free speech, families, life and other important faith-related issues. Click below to download the free guide... ##

Based on my research and prior reports in this pre-election series, the following are my personal tips for the issues that are on the Polk County, Florida ballot. Those suggestions are as follows. Note that I've not weighed in on certain hyper-local issues, you'll need to do your own homework on those. You can click on these to print and download and walk into the voting booth with them for your ease. Or do a screen capture and use your phone for these voter tips.

Find out what's happening in Lakelandfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

My suggestions on the constitutional amendments are based in part on the stated views of experts on these topics. Let me briefly zero in on #3 and #4, on which my suggestion is to vote NO. Why? Because those measures can be done better by the state legislature. If there is a problem, legislation is easier to amend than the constitution. Special interests with deep pockets are backing the efforts for Amendments #3 and #4, because they think it will make their allies potentially billions of dollars over time while reducing parental and other rights. Please, vote NO on #3 and #4.

In 2000, the Florida vote was ultimately settled by a margin of 537 votes out of 5,825,043 cast, per Wikipedia. Your vote DOES matter. Don't let anyone say your vote doesn't matter, when powerful interests are spending hundreds of millions of dollars - billions all told - to try to influence you and your friends. VOTE wisely, and VOTE early if possible. ##

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