It was another Orlando city election, and barely anyone voted. This isn’t new, and once again voter apathy led to another re-election for incumbent Mayor Buddy Dyer. In fact, more than 154,000 eligible Orlando voters chose NOT to vote in the mayor’s election this year.
The pathetic voter turnout exposes how disengaged this community remains under Dyer’s administration. He has been in office since 2003.
Only 22,277 voters – or 12.6% of all Orlando registered voters – turned out to cast a ballot. On Election Day itself, only 10,590 voters showed up to the polls. That’s a whopping 6% turnout. There was only a 1% turnout for Early Voting. Absentee ballot voting, Dyer’s bread and butter to winning elections, accounted for another 9,784 votes, or about 5.55%.
In his victory speech, Dyer attempted to claim a “mandate.” No, Mayor Dyer, we’re sorry but severe voter apathy is not a mandate. He also added that after 16 years, he “just about got it down” on how to be mayor – so watch out, sounds like more corruption, schemes and backroom deals are coming to Orlando’s City Hall soon.
Dyer defeated Sam Ings, who essentially had served as a rubber stamp for Dyer’s policies on the City Council making his run confusing, and Aretha Simons, a Navy veteran and non-profit leader.
