Polk County Elections: Voters Asked To Purchase Conservation Lands

POLK COUNTY, FL — In addition to members of Congress, governor, attorney general and other members of the Florida Cabinet, Polk County voters who plan to head to the polls on election day will vote four U.S. House members, two state senators and a referendum to decide if Polk County should reinstate its program to acquire conservation lands.

While early voting ended in Florida counties over the weekend, residents with vote-by-mail ballots have until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, to turn them in. Election day polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. statewide.

If you’re not sure where to vote, you can look up your polling station here.

On Election Day

Voters who wait until election day must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct. Click here to find election day precincts.

To avoid delays at the polling place, voters should bring one or two forms of current identification that include their signature and photo. Without proper identification, residents may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.

Any of the following forms of photo identification are acceptable:

• Florida driver's license
• Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• U.S. passport
• Debit or credit card
• Military ID
• Student ID
• Retirement center ID
• Neighborhood association ID
• Public assistance ID
• Veteran health ID issued by the Veterans Administration
• Concealed weapons license
• Government employee ID

If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.

To keep voting lines moving, voters should fill out a sample ballot in advance. Residents can download a sample ballot here.

See related stories:

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If you received a vote-by-mail ballot but have decided to vote in person instead, your vote-by-mail ballot will be canceled.

When you arrive at the polls:

1. Check in with your valid and current photo and signature ID.
2. Receive your paper ballot and proceed to a privacy booth.
3. Using the black pen provided, completely fill in the oval next to each of your selections.
4. Review your ballot. If you wish to make changes, request another ballot.
5. If you have any questions, ask a poll worker before you insert the ballot in the scanner. Once a ballot has been accepted, it cannot be retrieved.

If you are satisfied with your selections:

• Take your ballot to the optical scanner in the secrecy folder provided.
• Insert your ballot into the optical scan feeder.
• The scanner will record your votes and place your ballot into the locked ballot box.
• The scanner will alert you if your ballot appears blank or if it detects too many votes.
• You will have the option to either submit the ballot as is or make changes.
• You are not required to vote in every race or for every issue on the ballot; therefore, the scanner will not alert you of instances in which you did not vote.

Who's On The Ballot?

United States Senator

• Marco Rubio-Republican
• Val Demings-Democrat
• Dennis Misigoy- Libertarian Party of Florida
• Steven B. Grant-no party affiliation
• Tuan TQ Nguyen-no party affiliaton

Representative in Congress District 9

• Scotty Moore-Republican
• Darren Soto-Democrat

Representative in Congress District 11

• Daniel Webster-Republican
• Shante Munns-Democrat
• Kevin Porter-no party affiliation

Representative in Congress District 15

• Laurel Lee-Republican
• Alan M. Cohn-Democrat

Representative in Congress District 18

• Scott Franklin-Republican
• Keith R. Hayden Jr.-no party affiliation

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

• Ron DeSantis and Jeanette Nunez-Republican
• Charlie Crist and Karla Hernandez-Democrat
• Hector Roos and Jerry "Tub" Rorabaugh-Libertarian Party of Florida
• Carmen Jackie Gimenez and Kyle "KC" Gibson-no party affiliation

Attorney General

• Ashley Moody-Republican
• Aramis Ayala-Democrat

Chief Financial Officer

• Jimmy Patronis-Republican
• Adam Hattersley-Democrat

Commissioner of Agriculture

• Wilton Simpson-Republican
• Naomi Esther Blemur-Democrat

State Senator District 12

• Colleen Burton-Republican
• Veysel Dokur-Democrat

State Senator District 27

• Ben Albritton Jr.-Republican
• Christopher Proia-Democrat

County Commissioner District 4

• Martha Santiago-Republican
• Markeishia Smith-Democrat

Justices of the Supreme Court

Shall Justice Charles T. Canady of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice John D. Couriel of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Jamie Grosshans of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Jorge Labarga of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Justice Ricky Polston of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Second District Court of Appeal

Shall Judge Patricia Joan Kelly of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• N0

Shall Judge Nelly N. Khouzam of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Suzanne Y. Labrit of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Matt Lucas of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Robert Morris of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Stevan Travis Northcutt of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained inoffice?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge John K. Stargel of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

Shall Judge Craig C. Villanti of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

• Yes
• No

County Court Judge Group 8

• John Flynn
• Ruth Moracen Knight

School Board District 7

• Lisa Miller
• Jill Sessions

Bridgewater Community Development District Seat 4

• John Gierlach
• Robert C. Gilmore

Bridgewater Community Development District Seat 5

• Tonya Lockamy
• James T. Rooney

Golden Lakes Community Development District Seat 1

• Anthony J. Stevens
• Shaun York

Golden Lakes Community Development District Seat 2

• Alan A. Lukhaub
• Sam Morrone

Highland Meadows II Community Development District Seat 2

• John Guzikowski
• Miguel Santana Vazquez

Lake Ashton II Community Development District Seat 1

• Roy E. Aull
• Duff S. Hill

Constitutional Amendments

No. 1 Constitutional Amendment Article VII, Section 4; Article XII, Section 42

Limitation on the Assessment of Real Property Used for Residential Purposes Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution, effective January 1, 2023, to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to prohibit the consideration of any change or improvement made to real property used for residential purposes to improve the property's resistance to flood damage in determining the assessed value of such property for ad valorem taxation purposes.

• Yes
• No

No. 2 Constitutional Amendment Article II, Section 5; Article XI, Sections 2 and 5

Abolishing the Constitution Revision CommissionProposing an amendment to the State

Constitution to abolish the Constitution Revision Commission, which meets at 20-year intervals and is scheduled to next convene in 2037, as a method of submitting proposed amendments or revisions to the State Constitution to electors of the state for approval. This amendment does not affect the ability to revise or amend the State Constitution through citizen initiative, constitutional convention, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, or legislative joint resolution.

• Yes
• No

No. 3 Constitutional Amendment, Article VII, Section 6; Article XII

Additional Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Specified Critical Public Services Workforce

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to grant an additional homestead tax exemption for nonschool levies of up to $50,000 of the assessed value of homestead property owned by classroom teachers, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, child welfare services professionals, active duty members of the United States Armed Forces, and Florida National Guard members. This amendment shall take effect January 1, 2023

• Yes
• No

No. 1 Referendum, Article VII, Section 12 and Article VIII, Section 1

Acquisition and Management of Water Resources and Environmental Lands Bond Referendum

Polk County voters will decide whether to restart a tax dedicated to purchasing and preserving land for conservation next year. The property tax initially ran from 1995 until 2015, and provided Polk County with over $80 million it used for preserving properties such as the Circle B Bar Preserve and the Lakeland Highlands Scrub.

• Yes
• No

No. 1 Charter Amendment, Section 8.4

Expense Reduction-Charter Review

Charter Amendment to reduce expenses to Polk County by increasing the time between Charter Review Commissions from every 8 years to every 12 years.

• Yes
• No