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Florida judicial elections
Judges in Florida participate in retention elections and nonpartisan elections held in even-numbered years.[1]
Florida is one of seven states that use nonpartisan elections to initially select judges and then use retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
| Supreme Court | District Courts of Appeal | Circuit Court | County Courts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merit selection, retention - Six-year terms | Merit selection, retention - Six-year terms | Nonpartisan elections - Six-year terms | Nonpartisan elections - Six-year terms |
Elections
- Florida Supreme Court elections, 2024
- Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
- Florida Supreme Court elections, 2022
- Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
- Florida Supreme Court elections, 2020
- Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
- Florida Supreme Court elections, 2018
- Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2018
- Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Florida judicial elections, 2016
- Florida judicial elections, 2014
- Florida judicial elections, 2012
- Florida judicial elections, 2010
Election rules
Primary election
To get on the ballot, candidates for judicial office are required to obtain signatures equal to at least one percent of the number of registered electors in the geographic boundary of the district.[2] Trial court judicial candidates compete in nonpartisan primaries designed to narrow the field to two candidates for the general election. Candidates who receive a simple majority (fifty percent plus one vote) of the vote in the primary are considered winners and are not on the ballot in the general election unless a write-in candidate qualifies for the same office. Candidates who are unopposed for any office do not appear on the ballot and are considered automatically elected.[3][4]
General election
In the general election, trial court candidates compete in nonpartisan elections. Partisan organizations and political parties are forbidden from endorsing, supporting, or opposing candidates for office.[5]
Retention election
Retention elections for appellate judges ask voters a "yes" or "no" question of whether or not to retain a judge to another term. The judges do not face competition on the ballot. If a majority of votes are in favor of a particular judge, that judge will be retained to a new term.[6]
Historical changes
Florida election law permits the method by which judges are selected to be amended by initiative vote. In the 2000 general elections, Florida voted on such an initiative to change the judiciary to a merit retention system, which would abolish judicial elections and instead require the appointment and retention of trial judges. The measure was defeated in every jurisdiction.[7]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Florida," archived January 11, 2014
- ↑ Florida Election Law, "Sec. 105.035(e)," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 4, 2014
- ↑ Florida State Legislature, "2017 Florida Statutes, Chapter 105, Nonpartisan Elections," accessed September 25, 2017
- ↑ Florida Election Code, "Sec. 105.09," accessed May 4, 2014
- ↑ Florida Election Law, "Sec. 105.051," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Florida," archived January 11, 2014
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Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida
State courts:
Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court
State resources:
Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida