Jason Girard is just one of the tens of millions of Americans who have already voted in the 2020 elections, including contests ranging from the presidency to school board seats.
As of Oct. 26, more than 60 million Americans have voted in the 2020 elections. In Florida, more than 6 million people have voted.
Indeed, what issues draw someone to vote widely varies. For Girard, a Florida resident, one of his primary concerns is religious liberties.
“Some of the infringement recently on worship and singing has happened, and congregational worship has happened,” Girard said in an interview with the Sunshine Sentinel.
His comment is about the COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings, which caused continued tension between religious communities and local officials.
Officials have limited large crowds and singing in closed spaces to limit the coronavirus spread, which religious leaders and churchgoers have argued is an affront to their worship practices.
A second issue that concerns Girard is the debate surrounding healthcare in the U.S.
“I really think people should have the ability to make their own personal choices — I’m not against safety nets and things like that,” Girard said. “But I think the more options that we have, the more freedoms that we have.”
This topic has been a large focus recently, particularly with the Supreme Court that will hear a case regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) one week after the election.
Girard also spoke to the importance of voter turnout.
“It is really important that we get out there and make our voices heard. Very few people do vote in elections in America, which I think it’s really tragic,” he said. “I think that’s one of the reasons that we have such a mess in a lot of areas of our government is because people aren’t involved in- they’re not paying attention.”
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