City elections in Tallahassee, Florida (2024)

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← 2022
2024 Tallahassee elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: April 26, 2024 & June 14, 2024
Primary election: August 20, 2024
General election: November 5, 2024
Election stats
Offices up: State attorney and city commission
Total seats up: 3
Election type: Partisan and nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2024

Incumbent Curtis Richardson defeated Dorothy Inman-Johnson in the general election for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2 on November 5, 2024.[1] Two other elections, one for state attorney and another for one seat on the city commission, were decided outright in the August 20 primary.

The election determined majority control of the city commission. Mayor John Dailey and political allies—including Richardson—held three of the five seats. Dailey endorsed Richardson. Commissioners Jeremy Matlow and Jacqueline Porter endorsed Inman-Johnson.[2]

According to the radio station WFSU, Dailey and Matlow had been engaged in a "years-long feud...[involving] personal attacks in and out of city hall, as well as both backing candidates against each other’s political allies."[3] Before the election, Tallahassee Reports described Matlow as "the face and leader of the local progressive movement" and Dailey as having "pushed back on progressive proposals with a number of 3-2 votes."[4]

A win for Richardson would have maintained the commission's existing 3-2 Dailey-aligned majority. A win for Inman-Johnson would have given the progressive wing a 3-2 majority.

Richardson was a former state legislator who had served on the commission since 2014. Richardson ran on his record: "if you continue to entrust me to fight for you, we can ensure that Tallahassee remains an All-America city for years to come."[5] Richardson said crime was a priority: "I have personally felt the impact of the surging crime rates, which is why prioritizing public safety is paramount."[6]

Inman-Johnson was a former Tallahassee city commissioner, teacher, author, and city manager for the city of Midway, Florida. Inman-Johnson said she was returning to politics to "provide a fresh, more inclusive, perspective with a return to ethics, trust, transparency, and civility to the city commission."[7] Inman-Johnson ran on her record of service to the community including both government and nonprofit work.[8]

Tallahassee city commissioners were, as of 2024, elected at large rather than representing districts.

This page covers the November 5 general election for Tallahassee City Commission. Two other elections, one for state attorney and another for one seat on the city commission, were decided outright in the August 20 primary. For more on the August 20 nonpartisan primaries, click here.

Ballotpedia comprehensively covers the 100 largest cities in the United States by population. Our coverage also includes mayors, city councils, and district attorneys in the 32 state capitals that are not already part of our largest cities coverage. Please note that there may have been more offices on the ballot in this capital city than what is listed on this page.

Elections

City commission

Seat 1

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 1

Incumbent Jacqueline Porter won election outright against Rudolph Ferguson and Louis Dilbert in the primary for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 1 on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jacqueline Porter
Jacqueline Porter (Nonpartisan)
 
53.5
 
18,094
Image of Rudolph Ferguson
Rudolph Ferguson (Nonpartisan)
 
38.8
 
13,133
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Louis Dilbert (Nonpartisan)
 
7.8
 
2,624

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 33,851
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Seat 2

General election

General election for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2

Incumbent Curtis Richardson defeated Dorothy Inman-Johnson in the general election for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Curtis Richardson
Curtis Richardson (Nonpartisan)
 
50.7
 
42,020
Image of Dorothy Inman-Johnson
Dorothy Inman-Johnson (Nonpartisan)
 
49.3
 
40,856

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 82,876
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2

Dorothy Inman-Johnson and incumbent Curtis Richardson defeated Donna Nyack and Bernard Stevens in the primary for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2 on August 20, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Dorothy Inman-Johnson
Dorothy Inman-Johnson (Nonpartisan)
 
46.6
 
15,791
✔
Image of Curtis Richardson
Curtis Richardson (Nonpartisan)
 
43.6
 
14,746
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Donna Nyack (Nonpartisan)
 
5.6
 
1,910
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Bernard Stevens (Nonpartisan)
 
4.1
 
1,403

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 33,850
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

State attorney

General election

The general election was canceled. Jack Campbell (D) won without appearing on the ballot.

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

Seat 2

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Curtis Richardson

Image of Curtis Richardson

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Richardson obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in school psychology from Florida State University as well as a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of West Florida. Before entering elected politics, Richardson worked in the Gadsden County school system and with the state government.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Richardson said he had delivered for the city while in office, saying since he had been elected "we've made tremendous progress addressing the issues, such as public safety, affordable housing, economic development, and improving our underserved neighborhoods. Our city has received state and national recognition for the work we've done."

Richardson said he was a dedicated public servant: "It is my mission on every day to strive to improve life for us all. We've still got work to do, and if you continue to entrust me to fight for you, we can ensure that Tallahassee remains an All-America city for years to come."

Richardson said his policy priorities included promoting public safety, empowering local neighborhoods, improving the quality of city services, expanding access to affordable housing, and growing the local economy.

Show sources

Sources: Facebook, "Curtis Richardson on July 13, 2024," accessed August 8, 2024; Curtis Richardson 2024 campaign website, "Home page," accessed August 8, 2024; City of Tallahassee, "Mayor Pro Tem Richardson - Seat 2," accessed August 8, 2024; LobbyTools, "Former Florida Representative Curtis Richardson (D)," accessed August 8, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2 in 2024.

Dorothy Inman-Johnson

Image of Dorothy Inman-Johnson

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Inman-Johnson obtained a bachelor's degree in visual arts from Clark Atlanta University. Inman-Johnson's professional experience includes 28 years working as a teacher, serving as city manager for Midway, Florida, and co-founding the Loved by Jesus Family Church.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Inman-Johnson said she was returning to politics to "provide a fresh, more inclusive, perspective with a return to ethics, trust, transparency, and civility to the city commission."

Inman-Johnson said she had a record of service to Tallahassee that included her teaching experience, her earlier service on the City Commission, and her work as the former executive director of the Capital Area Community Action Agency, a group supporting local low-income residents.

Inman-Johnson said her policy priorities included increasing quality of life, promoting transparency in city government, encouraging tourism, and preserving the city's history.

Show sources

Sources: Dorothy Inman-Johnson 2024 campaign website, "Home page," accessed August 9, 2024; Dorothy Inman-Johnson 2024 campaign website, "Issues," accessed August 9, 2024; Dorothy Inman-Johnson 2024 campaign website, "Dot's Record," accessed August 9, 2024 ; Dorothy Inman-Johnson 2024 campaign website, "Dot's Record," accessed August 9, 2024; The FAMUan, "Inman-Johnson jumps back into the fray," April 20, 2024; Tallahassee Democrat, "Former City Commissioner Dorothy Inman-Johnson files to run again in 2024," June 7, 2023

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 2 in 2024.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Seat 2

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.


Voting information

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: October 7, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by October 7, 2024
  • Online: October 7, 2024[9]

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: November 5, 2024
  • By mail: October 24, 2024
  • Online: October 24, 2024
  • By phone: October 24, 2024[10]

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: November 5, 2024
  • By mail: Received by November 5, 2024[10]

Was early voting available to all voters?
Yes.[11]

What were the early voting start and end dates?
Early voting opened on October 21, 2024, and closed on November 3, 2024.[11]

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?
Yes, all voters were required to present a photo ID at the polls.[12]

When were polls open on Election Day?
Polls opened at 7:00AM and closed at 7:00PM on Election Day.[13]


Endorsements

Seat 2

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia researchers did not identify any candidate websites that provide endorsement information. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Leon County Supervisor of Elections. Click here to access those reports.

Election history

2022

See also: City elections in Tallahassee, Florida (2022) and Mayoral election in Tallahassee, Florida (2022)

The city of Tallahassee, Florida, held general elections for mayor and city council on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 23, 2022. The filing deadline for this election was June 17, 2022.


2024 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This was a battleground election. Other 2024 battleground elections included:

See also

Tallahassee, Florida Florida Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Tallahassee Democrat, "Richardson defeats Inman-Johnson, secures City Hall from progressive takeover," November 5, 2024
  2. ↑ Tallahassee Democrat, "2024 election: Slates form as Tallahassee commissioners work to oust colleagues," March 8, 2024
  3. ↑ WFSU, "John Dailey, Jeremy Matlow have verbal fight about Calvin Riley case," April 25, 2024
  4. ↑ Tallahassee Reports, "Local Politics: Mayor Dailey, Matlow Choose Candidates in City Races," March 8, 2024
  5. ↑ Facebook, "Curtis Richardson on July 13, 2024," accessed August 12, 2024
  6. ↑ Curtis Richardson 2024 campaign website, "Home page," accessed August 12, 2024
  7. ↑ Dorothy Inman-Johnson 2024 campaign website, "Home page," accessed August 12, 2024
  8. ↑ Dorothy Inman-Johnson 2024 campaign website, "Dot's Record," accessed August 12, 2024
  9. ↑ Leon County Supervisor of Elections, "Register to Vote," accessed September 3, 2024
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Leon County Supervisor of Elections, "Vote-by-Mail," accessed September 3, 2024
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Leon County Supervisor of Elections, "Early Voting," accessed September 3, 2024
  12. ↑ Leon County Supervisor of Elections, "Just the FAQs - Voter ID," accessed September 3, 2024
  13. ↑ Leon County Supervisor of Elections, "Election Day Voting," accessed September 3, 2024
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