It looks like almost every local seat on any local board drew a challenger for the upcoming election in Martin County.

However, in the Florida legislature, there were many incumbents who drew no opposition and have therefore been automatically re-elected. On the Treasure Coast, both Erin Grall and Gayle Harrell drew no opposition for election to the Florida Senate. Three other senate seats in the rest of the state had none either. In the Florida House, 25 seats will have no opposition. What gives?

While there are a couple of Democrats for those unopposed Florida House and Senate districts, Republicans are the ones that have benefited the most from having one party predominate. Republicans hold a slight majority in voter registration. But because of gerrymandering, there are just more and more districts that have or will turn red.

For all intents and purposes, the Democratic Party is consigned to be in the minority for at least the next decade in the state. The fewer Democrats there are in office, the more the party becomes even less effective. This is not good for democracy.

Our system unfortunately depends on both political parties being robust. When one party becomes so dominant as to have seat after seat unopposed, then we no longer have democratic elections. This is bad for Florida and the nation. Just ask those who oppose the government in China or Russia.

In economics, free markets are a good thing. The same kind of freedom applies to ideas and political thought. When only one party dominates and monopolizes, then the marketplace for thought is compromised. Just look at the spate of recent laws that have legislated what people can openly espouse.

It doesn’t matter if the party is Republican or Democrat. If it dominates a city or state, ultimately, we don’t have a democracy but an autocracy. That is not good for the nation or its democratic traditions.