ORLANDO — Orange County voters have just 10 days remaining before Florida’s Aug. 18 primary, and many will find considerably more on their ballot than the high-profile race for governor.
County commission contests, school-board races, judicial seats and other local offices will be decided or narrowed alongside statewide partisan primaries.
For voters, one of the most important steps may also be the simplest: look at the ballot before going to vote.
The Orange County Supervisor of Elections provides an online tool allowing registered voters to retrieve the specific sample ballot assigned to their precinct. Because ballots vary according to where a voter lives, a generic statewide candidate list may not show every local contest a voter will encounter. Orange County Supervisor of Elections
Local races often receive less television coverage and campaign advertising than contests for governor or Congress, yet the officials elected locally can have a more immediate effect on daily life.
Orange County commissioners make decisions involving zoning, development, housing, roads, transportation, parks, public safety and county spending. School-board members oversee education policy and substantial public budgets. Judicial races determine who will preside over cases involving families, businesses, criminal defendants and civil disputes.
Florida’s Aug. 18 election includes partisan primaries as well as nonpartisan contests, meaning some voters will see races on their ballots regardless of political-party registration.
The Orlando Advocate recommends that voters retrieve their personalized ballot in advance, research unfamiliar candidates and mark a sample ballot before voting.
The objective should not simply be turnout.
It should be informed turnout.
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
- Kevin Seraaj
