It's officially October which means this is the month you need to prepare for the General Election that's on November 6^th, 2018.

This is the year for politics. A lot of people are not happy with what our current administration has accomplished these past few years and are demanding a change. Obviously, the biggest election is the presidential election, but that doesn't mean the local elections don't matter.

You matter in your state. Your voice matters. Florida especially is the swing state, politics are incredibly important here. It starts out with your elections to make it to the top of the chain.

The General Election is where we choose our federal and state candidate.

In Orlando, FL, The Federal includes The U.S. Senate and The U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 7^th Congressional District.

The State includes Governor, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Chief Financial Officer, and House of Representatives District 49.

For information on the candidates running for each position, NextGen America has made a tool to assist any voter in creating a ballot that will assist you on Election Day!

This article I will be going into depth on the two candidates running for Florida's Governor.

Andrew Gillum is the Democratic nominee and Rob Desantisis the Republican nominee. All the information provided about the issues each candidate stands for is directly from their campaign websites.

@AndrewGillum on Twitter

Andrew Gillum is the progressive candidate of this race and has been making national headlines for his incredible win in the Primary election back in August 2018. Gillum was the former mayor of Tallahassee, FL and has been endorsed by former President Barack Obama and progressive leader Bernie Sanders at Our Revolution. Andrew Gillum's website states "Andrew is running for Governor so that Florida can finally confront the challenges we've shrunk from over the past 20 years…"

(left) Andrew Gillum (right) Chris King @ChrisKingFL on Twitter

Andrew Gillum is running alongside with Chris King.

Gillum stands for

Criminal Justice Reform

• Legalization of marijuana for new revenue to pay for teacher and instructional staff pay increases and to reduce mass incarceration of people with low-level drug offenses related to marijuana
• Reform bail system
• Appoint three new Supreme Court justices who share the values of the state
• Appoint diverse, qualified judges who represent the people

Economy and Jobs

• "Fair Share for Florida's Future" Plan to make investments in public schools and working families
• Raise teacher's salary to $50,000
• Ask richest corporations to pay fair shares
• Adjusting state corporate tax level to 7.75%, allowing all rich corporations to receive tax cut
• Recouping at least $1 billion and put it in the investment of Florida's future

Education

• $1 billion investment in public schools
• Teacher salary raised to $50,000
• "SHOP 2.0" – revitalization of vocational training in public schools

Environment

• Solar energy being used because we live in the Sunshine State
• "We're going to put science first & work together to not only save our planet, but create clean energy jobs along the way"
• Climate change believer

Gun Safety

• Fighting for gun lobby
• Common sense gun safety policies
• Ban of assault weapons, large capacity magazines, and bump stocks
• Strengthen and requiring universal background checks for all gun sales
• Closing private sale loopholes
• Restricting gun access for the mentally ill and known foreign and domestic terrorists
• Closing "Boyfriend Loophole"
• prohibiting gun possession for those with felony and misdemeanor domestic violence and stalking convictions
• banning the purchase and possession of armor-piercing bullets

Healthcare

• Affordable Care Act
• Expand Medicaid
• proposed a law protecting women's access to no-cost contraceptive care under Obamacare
• protecting people with pre-existing conditions from being denied coverage, being charged more for their care due to a pre-existing condition, or women being charged more than men

Immigration

• remove the immoral family separation policies that have torn families apart and made us less safe

Israel

• support anti-Boycott, Divest and Sanctions [BDS] legislation passed last year with overwhelming support in both houses of the legislature. The legislation prevents Florida from investing in or doing business with companies participating in boycotts of Israel
• Will continue to push back against anti-Israel efforts, like BDS, that question Israel's existence as a Jewish state, and will support bipartisan measures that help deter such practices.
• Only a separate state, brought about through direct, legitimate negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, can vest in the Palestinians the aspirations they rightfully seek to achieve

LGBTQ Equality

• advance equality for LGBTQ Floridians
• address these issues through statewide policies that ensure equal treatment and equal rights for all Floridians from every corner of our state

Puerto Rico

• recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and as they strive for better-paying jobs, better-funded schools, and a state that puts everyday people first
• advocate for new federal legislation and assistance

Women's Rights

• support the state legislature ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment
• push for equal pay legislation that levels the playing field for women in the workplace
• protect and encourage women-owned businesses and lead by example to hire the best and brightest women to help lead our state forward
• "stop the Legislature from using women's health as a political football. Andrew trusts women to make their own healthcare decisions with their doctor — not politicians — and he will oppose any attempt to make it harder for women to access quality healthcare"
• Won't defund Planned Parenthood
• Pro-Choice

@RonDesantisFL on Twitter

Rob Desantisis the Republican candidate in this race. Ron Desantis is the former U.S. Representative for Florida's Sixth District and was endorsed early in the Republican primary by President Donald J. Trump.

(left) Jeanette Nuñez (right) Ron Desantis @RonDesantisFL on Twitter

Desantis is running alongside with Jeanette Nuñez.

Desantis stands for:

Environment

• Restore the Everglades
• Stop Toxic Algae Discharges
• Send Clean Water South
• Protect Beaches
• Expand and Protect Water Supply
• Protect our State Lands, Parks, Springs, and Air

Education

• Boost classroom spending for students and teachers with the 80% classroom spending plan
• Emphasize career & technical education
• Encourage innovation & expand choice in Education
• Recruit, reward, and retain good teachers
• Review and Improve Florida's curriculum standards
• Build an affordable, world-class higher education system

Continuing Florida's Economic Momentum

• Maintain low tax state by opposing tax increases and supporting a constitutional amendment requiring a supermajority vote in the Legislature to raise taxes
• Reduce bureaucracy
• Crackdown on lawsuit abuse

Stop Illegal Immigration

• Enact E-verify to ensure a legal workforce and higher wages for Floridians
• No allowing sanctuary cities in Florida

End Judicial Activism

• Appoint constitutional conservatives to the Florida Supreme Court

Defending our Rights

• Defend the right to life by signing the pro-life legislation into law
• Standing for Second Amendment rights
• Defend First Amendment speech rights against those in academia, media, and politics who seek to silence conservatives

These are the two gubernatorial candidates for Florida. The general election is on November 6^th, 2018. The information I provided will hopefully inform you about who you choose to vote for.

If you cannot vote but still want to take part in this election, read my article on "5 Ways You Can Contribute To Your Local Election Besides Just Voting"