Democrats are gearing up to try and win Florida in November. We spoke to Nik Harris, a Joe Biden delegate from Broward County, about the virtual DNC, and why she thinks we need to bring “decency back in the White House.”
Nancy Soderberg, a Biden delegate from Jacksonville, and a Former White House Deputy National Security Advisor and UN Ambassador, also joined us for the discussion.
“We came together, it was exciting,” she said, noting that uniting a large group of voters is no small task.
“Democrats are not monolithic. [The DNC] is a tough act for the RNC to follow next week. We’ll see how they do,” said Soderberg.
Amendment 4
Desmond Mead, President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, spoke to us about his fight for returning citizens’ (individuals with a prior conviction) right to vote.
In 2018, Floridians overwhelmingly voted to restore returning citizens’ voting rights through the passage ofAmendment 4. However, the process has been delayed due to a provision added by the state, which says returning citizens must pay all fines and fees before registering to vote, resulting in an ongoing court battle.
School Reopenings
A Leon County judge is expected to decide next week if Florida’s executive order mandating that school buildings reopen by the end of August creates an unsafe environment. Closing arguments in this closely watched lawsuit took place Friday. We spoke to Andrew Atterbury of POLITICO, who covers education.
We also spoke to Adam Herman, an organizer of the Facebook group, Broward Parents for the Return to School, who hopes to see schools reopen.
“Statistics say it is safe to reopen. Everything we do in life involves risk, whether it’s getting in the car or going back to school,” Herman told us. He said he believes that every family has the right to decide what is best for them.
Whitney Reddick, a special education teacher in Jacksonville who wrote a mock obituary to protest school reopening that went viral, also joined us. She returned to school full-time this week and told us about her experience teaching during a pandemic.
Katherine Hobbs can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org or on Twitter at @KatherineGHobbs.
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