Run for Office

What is a candidate?
A candidate is defined in 97.051(5), Florida Statute, as any person to whom any one or more of the following applies:
- Any person who seeks to qualify for nomination or election by means of the petitioning process;
- Any person who seeks to qualify for election as a write-in candidate;
- Any person who receives contributions or makes expenditures or gives his or her consent for any other person to receive contributions or make expenditures with a view to bringing about his or her nomination or election to, or retention in, public office;
- Any person who appoints a treasurer and designates a primary depository;
- Any person who files qualification papers and subscribes to a candidate’s oath as required by law.
- However, this definition does not include any candidates for a political party executive committee.
Online Resources
• New Organizing Institute (NOI)
• NOI’s Candidate Project: Should I Run?
• Emily’s List: Making the Dough Rise (fundraising)
• Why Don’t Women Run for Office?
Organizations that provide candidate training
• Truman National Security Project
• Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
Offices up for election in 2018:
County Government
Candidates filing to run for County offices qualify with the local Elections Office.
More information about candidates: Candidate Profiles & Financials.
- County Commissioner: District 2 and 4
- County Court Judges: Group 1 and 2
- School Board Member: District 1, 2 and 4
- Indian River County Hospital District: Seat 2 and 4
- Indian River Soil & Water Conservation District: Seat 3 and 5
- Indian River Mosquito Control: District 2
Multi-County and District Offices
Contact your county Supervisor of Elections to determine if any of these offices in your county will appear on the ballot in the upcoming general election.
- Governor and Lieutenant GovernorAttorney General
- Chief Financial Officer
- Commissioner of Agriculture
- State Senator (Only even numbered districts)
- State Representative (All Districts)
- State Attorney (Only 20th Judicial Circuit)
- Public Defender (Only 20th Judicial Circuit)
Federal Offices
- U.S. Senator (One of two seats)
- Representative in Congress (All Districts)