Where can I get info on local elections?
 

I am looking at the ballot and there is no problem finding information on the candidates for the major offices.

However, there are a lot of local elections including Judges, Wildwood commissioner, and VCDD seats. I haven’t even heard of any of these people.

Is there a website that provides information on the people running in these local elections? I would like to find out their qualifications and their positions.

2024 General Election

2024 The Villages Daily Sun Voter Guide | | thevillagesdailysun.com

Look at vote411.org, which is a website of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters. Plug in your address and you can get info on local candidates and issues on your ballot.

Exactly what I was looking for!

Thanks!

I was confused by the elections for judges. It isn't an election between two people. Instead, we vote whether the incumbents should remain on the bench.

Does anyone know what percentage of judges are not retained??

I found this on the internet.

3. Do appeals court judges and Supreme Court justices have opponents?

No. Your vote determines whether each judge or justice should remain on the court.
They are not running against opponents or each other. Merit retention elections
are nonpartisan. In nonpartisan elections, candidates appear on the ballot without
reference to any political party, (e.g. Democrat or Republican). Florida law requires
judicial elections to be nonpartisan in order to preserve impartiality.

4. How do appeals court judges and Supreme Court justices get on the court?

The governor appoints judges or justices from lists submitted by Judicial Nominating
Commissions, which screen candidates and make recommendations based on their
merits. Newly appointed judges go on the ballot for the first time within two years after
appointment. If the voters retain them, they then go on the ballot again every six years.

I believe the following is accurate but if there is an attorney out there, please make any corrections.

There are two types of judges on the ballot.

We have Supreme Court judges (which is the highest court in Florida) and we have Appeals Court Judges (which are above the trial court but below the Florida Supreme Court).

There are two Supreme Justices on the ballot and seven District Court of Appeal judges on the ballot (we are in the Fifth District Court of Appeal).

Florida Courts - Florida Courts

Merit Retention Election – The Florida Bar

It is very difficult to find out any information on the particular judges. There is an article in the Orlando Sentinel but it is behind a paywall.

Where to get unbiased election information
 

I use the League of Women Voters' online election guide at vote411.org. Click on the Find What's On Your Ballot box in the upper-right, put in your address and you will see everything that will be on your ballot - races, amendments, ballot initiatives, judicial retention elections.

The questions asked candidates are unbiased and their responses are unedited.

Getting information for judges is tough.

For Supreme Court Justices go to supremecourt.flcourts.gov/Justices You will see biographical information about the justices. I do know that both justices up for retention voted against putting Amendment 4, the citizen's initiative for abortion access, on the ballot.

For 5th Circuit Court of Appeals go to Judges - Fifth District Court of Appeal

I agree. I called the Florida Bar association. They have no information on the judges. Which makes it difficult for non-lawyers to make an informed decision.

I have never seen one judge voted out

I too had great difficulty about finding out information on the more obscure races.

I used to try and use search engines like google and it still was almost impossible to get the detail I wanted.

However, when I tried Just a moment... (ChatGPT)it came back in seconds with all the relevant information I wanted. Sometimes it even provides the sources. If it doesn't you can query on what the references are and it will immediately provide it so that you can verify it.

There are multiple AI sources to choose from. Claude is another one that is getting very good reviews.

Also next election if you want to skip the line for early voting then sign up for a mail in ballot. Then when the polls open up you simply walk in and hand your ballot to the person at the table set up just for that purpose. 10 seconds and you are out of there.

The other advantage is that you can fill it out at home which is much more preferable than a booth.

That's what we did too! Works great. Also kudos to all the poll workers at Everglades, they were so friendly and courteous!

I failed to mention that you can go online and verify that your vote was counted in case someone has a concern about that.

vote
 

Everything you will see on the ballot in Sumter County for the Nov. 5 election