The deadline to register to vote or change parties for the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 5.
Florida law requires that any voter wishing to vote in an upcoming election must be registered at least 29 days prior to the election.
Registering to vote is quick and easy and can be done online, in person or by mail.
“The November 3 General Election ballot contains several important federal, state and local races and questions — including three constitutional amendments,” Turner said in a prepared statement. “However, you can’t vote for those races or questions unless you are registered to vote on or before the October 5 deadline.”
“Registering to vote only takes a few minutes, so make sure you are registered before it’s too late.”
Voters wishing to register
to vote or change party affiliation may visit SarasotaVotes.gov for more information or call 941-861-8619.
Several key statewide races on the ballot
Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly headline an eight-candidate race to succeed Republican Ron DeSantis for governor; incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody will attempt to hold off Democrat Angie Nixon and NPA candidate Neil J. Gillespie in the two highest profile statewide races.
Three incumbent Republican cabinet members are also seeking new terms.
Attorney General James Uthmeier will face Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez; Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia will face Democrat Annette Taddeo; and Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson will face Democrat Joey Mendoza Atkins.
Voters will also weigh in on three constitutional amendments, all of which need a 60% majority vote to become part of the state Constitution.
The highest profile of those is Amendment 3, which would increase the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and adjust for inflation after that.
Amendment 1 would increase the percentage of funds that may be retained from 10% of general revenue collections to 25% of those collections each year.
Amendment 2 would exempt tangible personal property on agricultural land from taxation.
Voters can also weigh in on whether to retain Florida Supreme Court Justice Carlos Muniz; and Second District Court of Appeal judges Drew Atkinson, Morris Silberman, Daniel H. Sleet, and Andrew Teves Smith.
Two congressional seats will be decided
With longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan retiring, his District 16 seat — which was redrawn to include all of Manatee, DeSoto and Hardee counties, as well as portions of Pinellas and Sarasota counties — has evolved into a competitive three-way race between Republican Sydney Gruters, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, Democrat Kelly Kirchner, a former Sarasota mayor, and NPA candidate Mark Davis.
Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Greg Steube will seek to hold off Democrat Matthew Montavon and NPA candidate Michael Quirk for the District 17 seat, which was redrawn to include all of Charlotte County and portions of Lee and Sarasota counties.
Florida Legislature races
In the race for the state Senate District 22 seat, three candidates, Republican James Buchanan, Democrat Lew Wasserman and NPA candidate Martin Hyde are seeking to succeed Republican Joe Gruters, who termed out.
Incumbent Republican state Rep. Fiona McFarland will face Democrat Lisa Klein for the District 73 seat.
Republican Nick Pachota, the current Venice mayor, will face Democrat Ryan Neill for the right to succeed James Buchanan in the District 74 seat.
Incumbent Republican Danny Nix Jr. will face Democrat Cynthia Butler for the District 75 seat.
Sarasota County Commission
Two candidates are vying for the Sarasota County District 4 seat, Republican Jim DeNiro, a retired Sarasota Police sergeant who ousted incumbent Joe Neunder in the primary and Democrat Julie London.
Only District 4 residents can vote in that race.
Republican Mark Smith won the District 2 seat in a rare open primary against Kristina Sargent.
Sarasota City Commission
Three candidates are vying for two open at-large seats on the Sarasota City Commission: incumbent Jen Ahearn-Koch, Flo Entler and John Harshman.
City voters will pick two of the three candidates.
North Port City Commission
In North Port Commission District 4, Elaine Allen-Emrich is seeking to succeed her husband, Pete Emrich, against Lyudmila Dunchyk.
In North Port Commission District 5, incumbent Phil Stokes will seek a second term against Oleg Lisitsyn.
Venice City Council
Five seats are technically up for grabs on the seven-member Venice City Council but three incumbents were not opposed, including Jim Boldt who had no opponent in his bid to succeed Nick Pachota as mayor.
The large number of vacancies can be attributed to a November 2024 referendum in which city voters decided to do away with three-year terms in favor of four-year terms.
Two incumbents, Lloyd Weed in Seat 1 and Rachel Frank in Seat 6, are unopposed on the ballot.
In Seat 2, Christopher Derbak, Jenny Heussner and Susan A. Perry have all filed for office.
Seat 5 incumbent Rick Howard faces a challenge from David Gress.
Boldt’s Seat 4 vacancy will be filled by a vote among sitting city council members after election day.
Sarasota County School Board
Republican Heidi Brandt and Democrat Jimmy Glover, the two top vote-getters in the Aug. 18 primary, are on the ballot in what is technically a nonpartisan race.
Megan Tennimon won the District 4 race and Beth Mayberry won the District 5race in August.
Sarasota County Charter Review Board
Three Charter Review Board seats will be on the ballot.
In District 3, Republican Arthur “Chip” Adams will face Democrat Jim Tate.
In District 4, Republican Taylor Collins will face Democrat Robin F. Williams.
In District 5, Republican Erin Halstead will face Democrat Andrea Doria Kale.
Environmentally sensitive lands referendum
Twenty-year extensions ofthe Environmentally Sensitive Land Protection Program and Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program will be on the ballot.
Voters will decide whether to extend authorization of a 0.25 mill property tax used to buy and preserve environmentally sensitive land and parklands.
Voters will also decide whether to authorize Sarasota County to issue up to $250 million in bonds for that program.
Key election dates
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m., Oct. 22.
The query can be made in person, by phone, online atsarasotavotes.gov or by mail after downloading a form from the website.
Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 1, with polls open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County voters much register by Oct. 5 for general election
