There is some confusion and misinformation floating around with regard to the upcoming elections in Jacksonville. I want to share with you the accurate information surrounding the how and when of the upcoming elections, the type they are and when they will happen. Also I think it is important that you know who are the folks deciding our city's future and that of course are the people who "actually" vote. So how many are there?
Currently Jacksonville has 552,265 "active" voters.
Democrat active voters number 230,281
Republican active voters number 201,883
The remaining active voters of all parties or NPA are 120,101
The candidate qualifying for the 2015 elections closed on December 16, 2014. This means no new candidates can be added to the ballot for the upcoming elections. Those on the ballot will have met the qualifying criterion and have either paid the qualifying fee or provided the needed ballot signatures to do so.
The races you will be voting on are as follows:
Mayor
Sheriff
Supervisor of Elections
City Council at Large, Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, Group 4 and Group 5. (*Note "ALL" Jacksonville registered voters can cast a vote for these seats)
There will be no chance to vote for:
Property Appraiser or
Tax Collector as both of those races have been decided.
The candidate for Property Appraiser was the only one who filed and qualified. Our Property Appraiser will be Jerry Holland.
The candidate for Tax Collector was the only who filed and qualified and is also the incumbent. Our Tax Collector will be Michael Corrigan.
11 of the 14 council district seats are up to vote on.
The District 5 race has been settled and the candidate/incumbent unopposed will take that seat and that is Lori Boyer.
The District 11 race has been settled and the candidate who ran unopposed will take that seat and that person is Danny Becton.
The District 13 race has been settled and the candidate/incumbent will take that seat again as he ran unopposed and that person is Bill Guilliford.
The district races that will be up for vote are Districts, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,12,14. *Important note, you may only vote for the individual district seats if you live in that district. To find out which district you are in click this link and follow the information: http://www.duvalelections.com/Voter-Information/Precinct-Finder.aspx
To find the names of all the candidates in all the races click this link: https://www.voterfocus.com/ws/WScand/candidate_pr.php?c=duval&el=15
****THE ELECTION DATES AND TYPE OF ELECTION BELOW****
All the upcoming elections are "UNITARY". This means there will be "NO PRIMARY RACES" and that the races will "NOT BE DECIDED BY PARTY AFFILIATION".
Early Voting begins on:
March 3, 2015
The First Election Day will be:
March 24, 2015 *NOTE: The two candidate receiving the most votes regardless of party will move on to the final election. If there are only two candidates in a single race, the one with the most votes will be declared the winner.
The General Election will be:
May 15, 2015
In Duval County you can "VOTE BY MAIL". This means you can have a ballot mailed to your home and then mailed back to the SOE at no charge to yourself. To ask to have a vote by mail ballot you can write for one using this link: http://www.duvalelections.com/Portals/Duval/Documents/Absentee%20Ballot%20Forms/VOTE%20BY%20MAIL%20request%20form.pdf
To request a mail in ballot on line use this link: http://www.duvalelections.com/Voter-Information/Absentee-Ballot-Vote-By-Mail/Electronic-Ballot-Request.aspx
Questions about any of the elections can be made by phone at: SOE 904-630-1414
If you are not registered to vote you should be. It is very easy to do and it is a right and a privilege. Everyone who is old enough to vote should be involved in the process that drives our leadership and as a result our legislators and laws. You don't get to complain about what is happening in our government is you do not bother to vote. Nuf said! To register to vote click this link: http://www.duvalelections.com/Voter-Information/Register-to-Vote-Update-Address-Name-Party/How-To-Register-To-Vote.aspx
:)