John Adams, founding father, second president, once extolled the value of public service to his youngest son, Thomas Boylston Adams, in a letter written in 1789.
“Public business my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or other. If wise men decline it others will not: if honest men refuse it, others will not.”
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Adams the younger was a couple of weeks away from turning 17.
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More Americans these days see those in public office at the lower end of the integrity spectrum.
In a January Gallup Poll, those surveyed had a low opinion of public officeholders:
- 54% ranked local officeholders at an “average” level of honesty and ethical standards
- 39% ranked state officeholders at “low or very low” level of honesty and ethical standards
- 62% ranked members of Congress at a “low or very low” level of honesty and ethical standards
If the old adage holds that wanting something done right means doing it yourself, and you feel your county, state or federal lawmaker does not reflect your values, why not try and run for office?
When are the elections?
Florida’s primary is Aug. 23, which is for party elections but also for some nonpartisan county offices and judgeships. If you are not a member of a political party, be sure to check with your county supervisor of elections office anyway because there may be a nonpartisan election you can take part in.
The general election is Nov. 8. That election is open to all voters regardless of party.
To qualify for these elections, you must have all your paperwork filed and fees paid by the following period:
- Monday June 13 at noon to Friday, June 17 at noon.
This is if you want to run for U.S. senator or representative, a Florida statewide office such as governor or attorney general, to be a member of the Florida House or Senate, or for county or city office.
Do I have to be a member of a political party?
You do not have to be a member of a political party to run for office. You can run as a No Party Affiliate. However, if you want to run under a specific political party, you must be a member of that party for 365 days before qualifying to run.
Not all elections are partisan elections. Many county and city offices are nonpartisan races, as are school board races. In those cases, it does not matter what your party affiliation is, and it won’t show up on the ballot.
If you are running for a partisan race, however, such as congressman or governor, Florida is a closed primary state.
In Florida, if an election draws more than one candidate from the same political party, there will be a primary election for that party.
For example, in the governor’s race, we know there are several Democratic candidates running for the office. That means on Aug. 23, Democratic voters will go to the polls and decide which candidate will move on to the November election.
Only Democrats can vote in the August Democratic primary for governor.
How do I qualify?
First, you must declare a campaign treasurer to handle all donations and file necessary paperwork throughout the campaign.
If you want to run for U.S. senator or representative, a Florida statewide office such as governor or attorney general, to be a member of the Florida House or Senate, or for county or city office, the period where you qualify for office runs from Monday June 13 at noon to Friday, June 17 at noon.
There are three ways to file for office:
1. Pay a qualifying fee
2. Get enough petition signatures to waive the qualifying fee and run for office
3. Sign up to be a write-in candidate, which means you won’t be on the ballot but supporters can write your name in and the vote will count
Qualifying fee costs can be found on the Florida Division of Elections website for federal and state offices. Check with your county or city to find out the qualifying fees for those offices.
Petition signature requirements can also be found on the Florida Division of Elections website for federal and state offices. Check with your county or city to find out the requirements for those offices.
Federal requirements for office are available in the 2022 Federal Qualifying Handbook.
To run for U.S. Senate, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen for at least nine years
- At least 30 years old
- You must live in the state when you are elected
To run for U.S. House of Representatives, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen for at least seven years
- At least 25 years old
- You must live in the state when you are elected
State requirements for office are available in the 2022 State Qualifying Handbook.
To run for a Florida statewide office (governor, chief financial officer, attorney general or agricultural commissioner), you must be:
- A voter no less than 30 years old
- A resident of the state for at least seven years
- Attorney general candidates must also be a member of the Florida Bar for at least five years
To run for Florida senator or Florida representative, you must be:
- A voter and resident of the district by the time you take office
- At least 21 years old
- A resident of Florida for at least two years before election
Qualifying fee costs can be found on the Florida Division of Elections website for federal and state offices. Check with your county or city to find out the qualifying fees for those offices.
If you plan to gather petition signatures instead, petition signature requirements along with the official permission forms can also be found on the Division of Elections website under “Qualifying Materials.” You can also find the 2022 Candidate Petition Handbook, and all the forms you need to download.
Under the Forms and Publications section of the website, you can also find handbooks on electioneering communications, campaign financing and other guides to be a candidate.
In order to qualify for federal or state office, you must file in Tallahassee.
If you want to run for county office, you must file in your county. Also, you can find all county qualifying documents on the county website. Contact your county supervisor of elections office to find out all of your requirements.
If you want to run for city office, visit your city or town’s clerk.
How do I find out what races are up for election this year?
The Florida Division of Elections says the following offices are up for election this year:
- U.S. Senator (Marco Rubio is up for reelection)
- All U.S. House districts
- Florida governor
- Florida attorney general
- Florida chief financial officer
- Florida commissioner of agriculture
- All Florida Senate districts
- All Florida House districts
County and city elections are different depending on where you live. You can go to your county supervisor of elections office to find out which districts you are in and what county elections are up this year.