Since Florida won't receive any delegates at the National Democratic Convention in August, some people have tried to claim Tuesday's election won't matter.
They're wrong.
Despite the fact that the Democratic National Committee stripped Florida of its national delegates, Tuesday's primary will still go a long way to determine the Democratic nominee.
As the last primary before 22 states go to the polls on Super Tuesday, Florida offered one final opportunity for candidates to gain momentum. Seizing the initiative here will impact countless voters across the nation on Super Tuesday. Florida's status as a crucial swing state makes it an excellent measure of who will take the White House in November.
By winning in an economically and ethnically diverse state like Florida, Hillary Clinton appealed to a wide range of voters, which is crucial for success in the national election.
Voters also made the decision to give Florida's upper-class a large tax cut at the expense of government services by approving Amendment 1. While the state cannot afford to give away $8.5 billion, the citizens of Florida unfortunately made a choice to move away from equitable property tax reform.
In city elections, three Gainesville City Commission seats were contested in races that affected students' lives in more subtle ways than the national primary, but the results are still important. City commissioners will be making a decision on whether to build a coal power plant, or to nurture the growth of sustainable energy in Gainesville. The commission also manages growth within the city limits, and this impacts traffic and land development.
By voting Tuesday, we helped decide the Democratic nominee for president. By deciding on Amendment 1, we presented new challenges to local governments to do more with less and preserve government services, such as education and police protection.
With so much on the line, there can certainly be no argument that Democrats voting in Tuesday's election did not matter.
Mark McShera is the UF College Democrats editorial chairman and a sophomore.
