With Florida’s primary elections behind us, the general elections are just around the corner. Florida’s Supervisors of Elections will begin to send Vote-By-Mail ballots to voters who requested them beginning September 26. The deadline to register to vote in the November elections is October 7. Early voting starts around October 26, and Election Day is November 5.
In the weeks ahead, I will do a deep dive into nearly every candidate and issue that will be on Collier County a voter’s ballot and share what I learn in a Sparker’s Soapbox post. Some of my research will be relevant to non-Collier Florida voters, such as my work on candidates for some federal and state offices and the proposed constitutional amendments.
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In This Post
In this post, you’ll get a look at what will be on the ballot for Florida voters and find links to websites for the candidates and issues. I close with a few things you can and should do now to prepare.
Federal Offices on the Ballot
U.S. Senators serve six-year terms of office; members of the U.S. House of Representatives run for reelection every two years.
This year, one of Florida’s two U.S. Senators and all 29 of its members of the U.S. House will be on the ballot.
In addition, voters nationwide will elect the next U.S. President. Since there is more than enough publicly available information to help you cast an informed vote, I will not be writing about the candidates in the presidential race.
U.S. Senator
All Florida voters elect the state’s two U.S. Senators. This year, incumbent Republican Senator Rick Scott is seeking reelection to a second term.
The candidates are:
- Feena Bonoan – Libertarian Party of Florida (LPF)
- Ben Everidge – No Party Affiliation (NPA)
- Howard Knepper – Write-In (WRI)
- Debbie Mucarsel-Powell – Democrat (DEM)
- Tuan TQ Nguyen – No Party Affiliation (NPA)
- Rick Scott – Republican (REP) (Incumbent)
U.S. House
Each U.S. Representative is elected by residents of their district.
Find your congressional district HERE.
Once you know your district, find your congressional district candidates HERE. If there were multiple candidates for one of the two major political parties, you would need to go a step further to learn who won the primary in order to know who will be on the ballot in November.
With the candidates’ names, do an online search to find their campaign websites.
State Offices on the Ballot
State Legislature
Each member of the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate is elected by residents of their district. Representatives serve two-year terms, and senators serve four-year terms.
Learn about the Florida House and Senate in my primer on The Legislative Branch of Florida’s Government.
Find your State House and State Senate districts either HERE or HERE.
Once you know your House and Senate districts, find the candidates HERE. If there were multiple candidates for one of the two major political parties, you would need to go a step further to learn who won the primary in order to know who will be on the ballot in November.
With the candidates’ names, do an online search to find their campaign websites.
State Judiciary
Learn about Florida’s court system and the judicial merit retention process in my primer on The Judicial Branch of Florida’s Government.
Supreme Court – Judicial Merit Retention
All Florida voters vote on the merit retention of Supreme Court justices.
Two Supreme Court justices are seeking merit retention in November. They are:
District Courts of Appeals – Judicial Merit Retention
Voters in each of Florida’s six Appeals Court districts also vote on the merit retention of the judges who serve in its courts.
Twenty-three judges in Florida’s six District Courts of Appeal will be on the ballot for merit retention votes.
Find your Appeals Court district HERE.
Once you know your district, find your Appeals Court candidates HERE.
Sitting justices and judges are unlikely to have campaign websites, but an online search may bring up information helpful to your decision.
Local Offices on the Ballot
Find your county’s local candidates on your Supervisor of Elections website. Find your Supervisor of Elections’ website HERE.
You will need to know which local districts you live in to learn which candidates will be on your ballot. For example, voters in Collier County have candidates running for two of five County Commission seats, two of five constitutional officer positions, a Mosquito Control District board seat, and two seats on Fire Rescue District boards. If you live in a municipality, you may also have City Council races on your ballot.
Once you have the candidates’ names, do an online search to find their campaign websites.
Florida Constitutional Amendments
Six proposed amendments to Florida’s Constitution are on the ballot in November.
Learn about how Florida’s Constitution may be amended at the Florida Division of Elections.
All Florida voters will vote on the following proposals:
- Amendment 1 – Partisan Election of Members of District School Boards
- Amendment 2 – Right to Fish and Hunt
- Amendment 3 – Adult Personal Use of Marijuana
- Amendment 4 – Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion
- Amendment 5 – Annual Adjustments to the Value of Certain Homestead Exemptions
- Amendment 6 – Repeal of Public Campaign Financing Requirement
Approval by at least sixty percent of the votes cast is required for a measure to pass.
Things to Do Now
Here are five things you can and should do now before you begin to research who you will vote for:
1. Make Any Changes to Your Voter Registration
The races that will be on your November ballot are solely a function of your residence address and which districts you live in. Unlike partisan primary elections, your party affiliation does not affect the general election, and you may vote for any candidate, regardless of the candidate’s party.
Check your voter information with the Supervisor of Elections and make any needed changes to your name or address. You can do this online at colliervotes.gov or by calling the Supervisor of Elections office.
2. Update Your Signature
Make sure the way you sign your ballot matches what the Supervisor of Elections has on file. Consider updating your signature to avoid any possible delays, whether you vote in person or by mail.
You can download a voter registration application to update your voter signature or request one by calling the Supervisor of Elections office.
3. Request a Vote by Mail Ballot
Florida is a no-excuse-needed Vote-By-Mail state. Request a vote-by-mail (VBM) ballot if you will not be in town to vote in person, prefer the convenience of voting from home, or want to keep your options open.
The deadline for requesting a VBM ballot for the November elections is 5 p.m. on October 24.
IMPORTANT
The post office will not forward your vote-by-mail ballot, even if you’ve set up mail forwarding for all your mail. You must tell the Elections Office directly where to send your ballot.
If you’re not sure, check again! Because of a recent change in Florida election law, VBM ballot requests are only good for one election cycle, and you must indicate which elections (March Presidential Preference Primary, August primary, and/or November general election) in that cycle you want them for.
If you think you have already requested a VBM ballot for the November general election but aren’t sure, check again!
4. Learn what will be on your ballot
Learn which races will be on your ballot. I’ve given you the information you need to do so above.
Conclusion
Your vote is your best opportunity to influence the policy decisions that will affect you and your family in years to come.
I hope this post motivates you to think about which ballot decisions you’ll want to spend time researching before November.
Thanks for wanting to be a more informed voter!