Florida voters will decide the next governor in the 2014 upcoming gubernatorial election in November. The date is quickly approaching and while some may have heard of Charlie Crist or Rick Scott, libertarian candidate Adrian Wyllie has the ability to take enough votes to help or hurt the other candidates.
Until recently, Wyllie seemed to be unknown. After having his driver’s license expire three years ago, Wyllie decided that the laws of Florida identification were too strict and imposing. He continued to drive without his license, gaining some public attention. With a handful of cases in small claims court, a pending foreclosure on his home and a middle class budget, Wyllie decided to run for governor after realizing that people were searching for an alternative to Crist and Scott, according to his website WyllieforGovernor.com.
Since deciding to run in 2013, Wyllie has operated on a modest budget of $50,000, and has gained the attention and respect of the working and middle class. He also has come to be respected among the young 20-40 year old crowd that favors less government in their daily lives, according to various news sites such as the Tampa Bay Times and the Tampa Tribune.
“I have lived in Florida for two years, but I haven’t heard of Wyllie,” said Hope Boullianne sophomore and allied health major.
Wyllie is a Tampa native and the cofounder of the AM radio station 1787 radio network, a political talk show platform, and has also been the president of an IT consulting firm. He has served in the fifty-sixth Air Defense Artillery and the fifty-third Infantry Brigade and as the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Florida.
Wyllie and his running mate Greg Roe of Pasco County have taken a stand on many big issues that Scott and Crist have been debating. When it comes to the hot button issue of legalizing marijuana, Wyllie supports it.
“The war on drugs has been an abject failure. People are still doing drugs despite the laws,” his website states. He also stands behind marriage equality. If elected, he plans to change Florida marriage licensing laws so that individuals can make agreements between themselves and churches to be married without needing a government document (i.e. no marriage certificate or license to be married).
Wyllie has a seven point economic plan that includes cutting taxes and reducing regulation on private businesses to create more jobs and protect the value of a dollar in Florida. His solution to many of Florida’s economic woes is to forbid government from bailing out any corporation or business so that our capitalism is more of a free market.
In addition, Wyllie supports the second amendment and our right to bear arms in any public place, according to his website. To compare, Scott has signed 12 gun-related laws into effect since 2011, all of which were backed by the NRA, whereas Crist has supported bills in the past to regulate gun use more heavily, according to NRAILA.org.
One of the main ways that Wyllie differs from the other candidates is that he is against “Common Core” being taught in schools, which is supported by both Crist and Scott. “Common Core” is the highly debated new set of standards being taught in 43 states, created by lawmakers and teachers from 48 states. It was created to ensure every student is being taught the same information to get them ready for the workforce or college.
Corestandards.org stated that “Common Core” standards change the way that children are taught math, researching and essay writing to create a more equal learning experience for every student. Wyllie believes that the federal government should have no say in a student’s education, but that it should be a more locally involved decision making process, according to his website.
Another way that Wyllie differs from both Crist and Scott is that he believes Florida should make alternative forms of currency, so that the U.S. dollar is not so heavily relied on. If elected, this could have a potential negative impact on the way public universities are funded as well as having an impact on trade with other states.
Although the issues being debated in the gubernatorial election would have a direct effect on many UT students, there are still students who are not registered to vote.
“I am from out of state, so I’m not registered to vote,” said freshman and communications major Cassie Sandau. “I haven’t heard anything about the governor.”
You must be 18 years of age or older to vote and must be a legal resident of the state of Florida, according to the Florida Divisions of Elections website. Typically, if you have a Florida drivers license, you are a legal resident, even if it was issued in a different county.
Although many students share the same distance from the election, especially students living on campus from different states, it is still important to register to vote. The issues, such as education and the economy have a direct effect on students. The deadline to register to vote in the gubernatorial election is Oct. 13. To register to vote and for more information on the candidates, visit RocktheVote.com.
Krista Byrd can be reached at krista.byrd@spartans.ut.edu