Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party

Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party

Floridians face a Monday 5:00 p.m. deadline to register to vote in the August 26 Primary Election; an election in which many St Johns County voters will decide the outcome some important election contests.

Vicky Oakes, St Johns County Supervisor of Elections, has issued “last call” today for any Historic City News readers who have either not registered to vote, or, have not established, or wish to change, their party affiliation.

“Citizens and residents of St Johns County who want to participate in the Primary Election in August, must either file a properly completed application at my office, one of our agencies, like the St Johns County Tax Collector, or St Johns County public library, or by mail — but, regardless of your choice, it must be done not later than close of business today,” Oakes reminded our reporter.

If you need to download the Florida application form, it is available now.

If you want to visit or file your application in person or by mail, the address is 4455 Avenue A, Suite 101, St. Augustine FL 32095-5200. You can speak with the elections office staff by calling 904-823-2238 before 5:00 p.m.

Those eligible to vote must be:

• a U.S. citizen,
• a Florida resident,
• at least 18 years old

Although you may pre-register at ages 16 or 17, you still cannot vote until you are 18-years-old. If you have been convicted of a felony, in this or any state, or, if a court has found you to be mentally incapacitated as to your right to vote, you cannot register until your right to vote is restored. Information about this process is available from the elections office.

If you fail to meet any ONE of these requirements, you are not eligible to register.

The phrase “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party” was said to have been proposed as a typing drill by a teacher named Charles E. Weller. It is believed that the sentence was devised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the fall of 1867, during “an exciting political campaign” to test the speed of the first typewriter.

The mother of Historic City News editor, Michael Gold, was a typing teacher and instructor of blind students at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St Augustine for over twenty years. She taught students to use a typing device known as a “brailler”, which made raised impressions on heavy paper that could be read by the touch of the blind. Although she used the later variant of the phrase, “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country”, she used to say, “Accuracy is more important than speed”. She did not teach the hundred-year-old phrase to her students for that purpose. Wonder what she’d think about writing for newspapers in the 21st century?