Government Relations

Ad 2 2016 Election Guide

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The government relations committee wants to make sure members are informed about their right to vote this upcoming election year. Members have been asking about how to vote and what’s on the ballot. Here are the answers to all your Election Day questions. Keep in mind, Ad 2 and AAF are neither endorsing nor supporting ANY CANDIDATE in the upcoming election. Please take the time to do your own research and review the candidates before you make an important decision.

Q: When is the next election?

A: March 15th is the day that Florida gets to vote for the Presidential Primary

Q: Who gets to vote?

A: Depending on which party you’re registered, you’ll be able to vote for your choice for the presidential nominee. Keep in mind, Florida is a closed primary state meaning you can only vote from the list of candidates that are running for the party that you are registered in. Ex: Republicans can only vote for Republicans and Democrats can only vote for Democrats.

Q: What if I’m a registered INDEPENDENT or No PARTY AFFILIATION?

A:  Again, Florida is a closed primary state. If you’re a registered NPA or INDEPENDENT, you won’t be able to vote for the candidates in the Republican or Democratic presidential primary. You have until February 16th, 2016 to change your party affiliation. Also, check with your local supervisor of elections office to see if there is a local race in your area taking place January 31.

Q: How do I register to vote if I am not already registered?

A: Contact your local supervisor of elections and fill out a form and turn it into them no later than FEBRUARY 16th. Here are the links to the local supervisor of elections office:

Osceola County: http://www.voteosceola.com

Orange County: http://www.ocfelections.com

Seminole County: http://www.voteseminole.org

Q: What if I can’t make it to the polls on Election Day?

A: There are many other ways to vote rather than going to the polls on Election Day. You can early vote or request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. Contact your local supervisor of elections to get more details on where the early voting locations are or if you need to request an absentee ballot.

Q: I’m already registered, how can I change my address, name, or party affiliation?

A: Fill out a voter registration form and check off all that applies on the first line.

If you have any other Election Day questions or concerns, please contact Ad 2 Orlando’s government relations chair.

Rally in Tally – Government Relations Represents

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Rally in Tally is the most important Government Relations event each year, attended by the 4th District’s AAF and Ad 2 board members. On behalf of Ad 2 Orlando, Jeni Gammichia, Nichole Griffin and Heather Keroes attended as delegates. Over a period of two days, April 6-7, 2010, our team met with a total of 11 Florida House and Senate representatives from the Central Florida area.

Nichole loves to drive. Especially for four hours at a time.

During our meetings with the Senators and Representatives, we were able to thank them for recognizing the valuable role of advertising in stimulating our economy, and for not burdening our industry with new taxes or excessive regulations.

Happy to be at the Rally in Tally reception. And happy to be first in line at the buffet.

Other important topics we covered included two new bills that would further benefit our industry. This included the Film & Entertainment Industry Tax Incentives Bill (Senate Bill 1430 and House Bill 697) and the New Laws for New Media Bill (Senate Bill 1672 and House Bill 867). As the name implies, the Film & Entertainment Industry Tax Incentives Bill is designed to encourage film, video and entertainment production within our state. The New Laws for New Media Bill helps bring political campaign advertising into the 21st century by introducing social media regulations.

Overall, each Senator and House Representative we met were very supportive of advertising and understanding of its role in our economy. They were also pleased to learn of our involvement in the community through our Public Service endeavors—this year with the Center for Great Apes campaign. We invited them to attend the gala, which is being held April 24.

The AAF and Ad 2 Orlando delegates, getting chummy with House Representative Mike Horner.

Jack Herbert, our 4th District lobbyist, was also in attendance, and we had the opportunity to invite him to address our members at a future program—an invitation he accepted.

We are proud to say that this was a highly successful Rally in Tally and we look forward to further strengthening our relationships with our local legislators.