Special Jacksonville election will be city’s 1st under Florida’s new voting rules

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Filling vacant City Council spot expected to outgo $3 million

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mail ballots wlil retired Thursday successful Duval County implicit the adjacent fewer days for a Dec. 7 peculiar predetermination for the Jacksonville City Council spot near vacant erstwhile Tommy Hazouri passed distant past month. In-person voting begins the Saturday aft Thanksgiving.

Even though it’s lone 1 assembly seat, it’s an at-large spot truthful voters successful Duval County tin formed a ballot.

Four radical are running: Republicans Nick Howland and Howland “Howdy” Russell and Democrats Coach James Jacobs and Tracye Polson. But since metropolis elections are unitary -- each voters formed ballots successful each elections for immoderate campaigner connected the ballot.

It’s besides going to beryllium an predetermination that volition beryllium intimately watched due to the fact that it’s the archetypal for Jacksonville since the 2020 predetermination that raised concerns astir predetermination integrity and prompted the Florida Legislature to alteration voting laws.

Duval County Election Supervisor Mike Hogan said helium is inactive getting galore calls from radical disquieted astir the process and brought successful some Republicans and Democrats and showing them the process.

“I deliberation determination is truthful overmuch accusation retired determination -- misinformation astir the integrity of the election. That’s each I’ve been getting this full year,” Hogan said.

Because is lone 1 City Council race, adjacent though voting is unfastened countywide, this peculiar predetermination is expected to person a precise debased turnout -- possibly 10% to 15%.

Early voting volition statesman connected Nov. 27 and those sites volition stay unfastened 8 hours a time for 9 days. It’s not arsenic galore days arsenic successful the past and determination volition not beryllium arsenic galore sites. Early voting locations volition besides person driblet boxes for vote-by-mail ballots, but those volition lone beryllium disposable during the hours the sites are open.

Because its a full, citywide race, this predetermination is going to beryllium costly: astir $3 million.

“That’s $3 cardinal to elite 1 bureau for 20 months,” Hogan said. “It’s a batch of wealth for the taxpayers.”

If you person not registered to vote, you indispensable bash truthful by Nov. 8 to enactment successful this peculiar election.