Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Florida Supreme Court elections, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 27 - Nov. 3[2]
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
| 2018 election dates | |
|---|---|
| Deadline to file candidacy | |
| May 4, 2018 | |
| General election | |
| November 6, 2018 | |
| 2018 State Judicial Elections | |
|---|---|
2019 »
« 2017
| |
 | |
| Overview | |
| Supreme Courts Overview | |
| Appellate Courts Overview | |
| View judicial elections by state: | |
The term of one Florida Supreme Court justice expired in January 2019. That justice had to stand for retention by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench.
Justices Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente, and Peggy Quince did not file for retention in 2018.[3] All three justices were required by law to retire because of Florida’s mandatory judicial retirement age of 70.[4] Florida's governor named replacements for the three justices.
Candidates and results
Lawson's seat
General election candidates
- C. Alan Lawson (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
Justices not on the ballot
About the Florida Supreme Court
- See also: Florida Supreme Court
There are seven justices on the Florida Supreme Court. Justices are selected using the assisted appointment method, where the Governor of Florida chooses from a list of three to six candidates recommended by a commission on judicial appointments. Justices serve six-year terms. The appointment of a justice must be confirmed by a retention vote in the next general election at least one year after taking office.[5]
Political composition
This is the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2018 election. Justices on the Florida Supreme Court are appointed to their seats. Four of the seven justices were appointed by Republican governors: Charles Canady, Ricky Polston, Jorge Labarga, and C. Alan Lawson. Three of the seven justices were appointed by a Democratic governor: Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente, and Peggy Quince.
| ■ Fred Lewis | Appointed by Lawton Chiles (D) in 1998 | |
| ■ Barbara Pariente | Appointed by Lawton Chiles (D) in 1997 | |
| ■ Peggy Quince | Appointed by Lawton Chiles (D) in 1998 | |
| ■ Charles Canady | Appointed by Charlie Crist (R) in 2008 | |
| ■ Ricky Polston | Appointed by Charlie Crist (R) in 2008 | |
| ■ Jorge Labarga | Appointed by Charlie Crist (R) in 2009 | |
| ■ C. Alan Lawson | Appointed by Rick Scott (R) in 2016 |
Selection
- See also: Assisted appointment
The seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court are selected using the assisted appointment method. A judicial nominating commission screens potential judicial candidates, submitting a list of three to six nominees to the governor. The governor must appoint a justice from this list.[6] If a midterm vacancy occurs, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a justice's term.
Newly appointed justices serve for at least one year, after which they appear in a yes-no retention election held during the next general election. If retained, justices serve six-year terms.[6]
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a justice must be:
- a qualified elector;
- a state resident;
- admitted to practice law in the state for 10 years prior to assuming the bench; and
- under the age of 70.
Selection of the chief justice
The chief justice is selected by peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for two years.[6]
State profile
| Demographic data for Florida | ||
|---|---|---|
| Florida | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 20,244,914 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 53,625 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 76% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 16.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.4% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 23.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,507 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 19.8% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Florida. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Florida
Florida voted Republican in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Florida, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[7]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Florida had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respsectively.
More Florida coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Florida
- United States congressional delegations from Florida
- Public policy in Florida
- Endorsers in Florida
- Florida fact checks
- More...
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Four of 67 Florida counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Jefferson County, Florida | 5.06% | 1.75% | 3.66% | ||||
| Monroe County, Florida | 6.82% | 0.44% | 4.90% | ||||
| Pinellas County, Florida | 1.11% | 5.65% | 8.25% | ||||
| St. Lucie County, Florida | 2.40% | 7.86% | 12.12% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Florida with 49 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 47.8 percent. Florida was considered a key battleground state in the 2016 general election. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Florida voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. Florida went to the Republicans in 2000, 2004, and 2016, and it went to the Democrats in 2008 and 2012.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Florida. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[8][9]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 55 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 29.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 54 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 30.3 points. Clinton won 14 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 65 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 17.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 66 out of 120 state House districts in Florida with an average margin of victory of 21.1 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 36.20% | 62.79% | R+26.6 | 34.08% | 62.44% | R+28.4 | R |
| 2 | 40.60% | 58.27% | R+17.7 | 39.85% | 55.53% | R+15.7 | R |
| 3 | 22.07% | 76.75% | R+54.7 | 19.63% | 76.01% | R+56.4 | R |
| 4 | 25.64% | 73.07% | R+47.4 | 24.90% | 69.68% | R+44.8 | R |
| 5 | 25.87% | 73.02% | R+47.2 | 21.51% | 76.01% | R+54.5 | R |
| 6 | 28.12% | 70.72% | R+42.6 | 25.59% | 70.40% | R+44.8 | R |
| 7 | 35.78% | 63.03% | R+27.3 | 29.54% | 67.81% | R+38.3 | R |
| 8 | 76.69% | 22.32% | D+54.4 | 74.29% | 22.33% | D+52 | D |
| 9 | 52.23% | 46.70% | D+5.5 | 52.98% | 42.92% | D+10.1 | D |
| 10 | 29.54% | 69.49% | R+40 | 24.47% | 73.15% | R+48.7 | R |
| 11 | 29.10% | 69.98% | R+40.9 | 28.75% | 67.52% | R+38.8 | R |
| 12 | 38.82% | 60.18% | R+21.4 | 39.91% | 55.90% | R+16 | R |
| 13 | 66.27% | 33.01% | D+33.3 | 64.06% | 33.01% | D+31.1 | D |
| 14 | 67.05% | 32.34% | D+34.7 | 64.74% | 32.99% | D+31.8 | D |
| 15 | 43.22% | 55.85% | R+12.6 | 43.85% | 52.54% | R+8.7 | R |
| 16 | 36.02% | 63.09% | R+27.1 | 38.53% | 57.46% | R+18.9 | R |
| 17 | 29.91% | 69.15% | R+39.2 | 31.55% | 64.91% | R+33.4 | R |
| 18 | 27.33% | 71.82% | R+44.5 | 27.27% | 69.17% | R+41.9 | R |
| 19 | 31.02% | 68.02% | R+37 | 25.79% | 71.54% | R+45.8 | R |
| 20 | 65.02% | 33.40% | D+31.6 | 63.38% | 32.58% | D+30.8 | D |
| 21 | 47.01% | 51.55% | R+4.5 | 47.92% | 47.87% | D+0.1 | R |
| 22 | 40.28% | 58.79% | R+18.5 | 35.09% | 62.28% | R+27.2 | R |
| 23 | 38.65% | 60.23% | R+21.6 | 31.70% | 65.06% | R+33.4 | R |
| 24 | 41.79% | 57.34% | R+15.6 | 35.96% | 61.17% | R+25.2 | R |
| 25 | 43.38% | 55.73% | R+12.4 | 37.23% | 59.47% | R+22.2 | R |
| 26 | 57.57% | 41.40% | D+16.2 | 49.01% | 47.49% | D+1.5 | D |
| 27 | 50.25% | 48.70% | D+1.6 | 42.51% | 54.04% | R+11.5 | R |
| 28 | 46.01% | 52.86% | R+6.9 | 46.02% | 49.59% | R+3.6 | R |
| 29 | 44.35% | 54.70% | R+10.4 | 45.97% | 50.16% | R+4.2 | R |
| 30 | 50.06% | 48.88% | D+1.2 | 51.93% | 43.61% | D+8.3 | R |
| 31 | 40.55% | 58.49% | R+17.9 | 37.12% | 59.50% | R+22.4 | R |
| 32 | 43.05% | 56.11% | R+13.1 | 40.66% | 56.10% | R+15.4 | R |
| 33 | 33.03% | 66.40% | R+33.4 | 29.41% | 68.70% | R+39.3 | R |
| 34 | 38.74% | 60.18% | R+21.4 | 28.67% | 68.26% | R+39.6 | R |
| 35 | 45.66% | 53.25% | R+7.6 | 34.40% | 62.35% | R+28 | R |
| 36 | 51.81% | 46.55% | D+5.3 | 37.97% | 58.18% | R+20.2 | R |
| 37 | 42.35% | 56.41% | R+14.1 | 34.77% | 61.75% | R+27 | R |
| 38 | 44.80% | 54.00% | R+9.2 | 39.90% | 56.32% | R+16.4 | R |
| 39 | 43.29% | 55.62% | R+12.3 | 38.74% | 57.77% | R+19 | R |
| 40 | 46.30% | 52.68% | R+6.4 | 41.48% | 54.62% | R+13.1 | R |
| 41 | 48.78% | 50.29% | R+1.5 | 45.76% | 51.24% | R+5.5 | R |
| 42 | 49.88% | 49.23% | D+0.7 | 46.82% | 49.98% | R+3.2 | R |
| 43 | 74.04% | 25.31% | D+48.7 | 73.13% | 24.03% | D+49.1 | D |
| 44 | 45.77% | 53.48% | R+7.7 | 51.21% | 45.05% | D+6.2 | R |
| 45 | 68.39% | 30.95% | D+37.4 | 67.75% | 29.32% | D+38.4 | D |
| 46 | 85.10% | 14.40% | D+70.7 | 82.72% | 14.71% | D+68 | D |
| 47 | 49.79% | 49.04% | D+0.8 | 53.85% | 41.40% | D+12.5 | R |
| 48 | 71.31% | 27.89% | D+43.4 | 71.71% | 25.05% | D+46.7 | D |
| 49 | 59.87% | 38.85% | D+21 | 61.07% | 33.94% | D+27.1 | D |
| 50 | 46.33% | 52.71% | R+6.4 | 46.10% | 49.78% | R+3.7 | R |
| 51 | 43.21% | 55.60% | R+12.4 | 37.31% | 58.51% | R+21.2 | R |
| 52 | 39.39% | 59.51% | R+20.1 | 36.49% | 59.05% | R+22.6 | R |
| 53 | 48.93% | 49.90% | R+1 | 42.52% | 53.45% | R+10.9 | R |
| 54 | 39.76% | 59.51% | R+19.8 | 37.01% | 60.11% | R+23.1 | R |
| 55 | 38.22% | 60.83% | R+22.6 | 31.47% | 66.00% | R+34.5 | R |
| 56 | 41.15% | 57.81% | R+16.7 | 35.36% | 61.69% | R+26.3 | R |
| 57 | 42.15% | 56.94% | R+14.8 | 42.01% | 54.38% | R+12.4 | R |
| 58 | 46.77% | 52.09% | R+5.3 | 43.06% | 53.20% | R+10.1 | R |
| 59 | 49.52% | 49.33% | D+0.2 | 47.68% | 48.08% | R+0.4 | R |
| 60 | 45.69% | 53.23% | R+7.5 | 47.16% | 48.50% | R+1.3 | R |
| 61 | 84.25% | 14.95% | D+69.3 | 80.00% | 16.79% | D+63.2 | D |
| 62 | 64.91% | 34.12% | D+30.8 | 63.03% | 33.28% | D+29.8 | D |
| 63 | 52.82% | 46.09% | D+6.7 | 53.22% | 42.91% | D+10.3 | R |
| 64 | 43.41% | 55.66% | R+12.3 | 43.51% | 52.80% | R+9.3 | R |
| 65 | 45.20% | 53.72% | R+8.5 | 41.15% | 55.05% | R+13.9 | R |
| 66 | 47.12% | 51.78% | R+4.7 | 41.07% | 55.29% | R+14.2 | R |
| 67 | 52.12% | 46.53% | D+5.6 | 45.78% | 49.98% | R+4.2 | R |
| 68 | 54.01% | 44.56% | D+9.5 | 50.98% | 44.15% | D+6.8 | D |
| 69 | 51.25% | 47.57% | D+3.7 | 46.57% | 49.53% | R+3 | R |
| 70 | 79.17% | 20.00% | D+59.2 | 73.65% | 23.39% | D+50.3 | D |
| 71 | 45.45% | 53.64% | R+8.2 | 42.72% | 53.89% | R+11.2 | R |
| 72 | 47.80% | 51.26% | R+3.5 | 46.03% | 50.71% | R+4.7 | D |
| 73 | 37.59% | 61.60% | R+24 | 35.82% | 61.14% | R+25.3 | R |
| 74 | 42.64% | 56.48% | R+13.8 | 37.10% | 60.20% | R+23.1 | R |
| 75 | 42.40% | 56.68% | R+14.3 | 34.70% | 62.49% | R+27.8 | R |
| 76 | 35.45% | 64.01% | R+28.6 | 35.24% | 61.90% | R+26.7 | R |
| 77 | 41.60% | 57.61% | R+16 | 36.05% | 60.86% | R+24.8 | R |
| 78 | 44.44% | 54.88% | R+10.4 | 42.96% | 53.85% | R+10.9 | R |
| 79 | 45.93% | 53.26% | R+7.3 | 39.89% | 57.01% | R+17.1 | R |
| 80 | 38.79% | 60.51% | R+21.7 | 36.96% | 60.49% | R+23.5 | R |
| 81 | 60.36% | 39.13% | D+21.2 | 59.06% | 39.12% | D+19.9 | D |
| 82 | 38.70% | 60.58% | R+21.9 | 36.91% | 60.22% | R+23.3 | R |
| 83 | 48.78% | 50.42% | R+1.6 | 43.71% | 53.43% | R+9.7 | R |
| 84 | 53.34% | 45.89% | D+7.5 | 47.96% | 49.59% | R+1.6 | D |
| 85 | 47.28% | 52.04% | R+4.8 | 44.74% | 52.71% | R+8 | R |
| 86 | 58.97% | 40.46% | D+18.5 | 56.40% | 41.24% | D+15.2 | D |
| 87 | 68.41% | 30.79% | D+37.6 | 65.09% | 32.03% | D+33.1 | D |
| 88 | 82.26% | 17.18% | D+65.1 | 78.19% | 19.67% | D+58.5 | D |
| 89 | 47.47% | 51.83% | R+4.4 | 48.96% | 48.44% | D+0.5 | R |
| 90 | 62.95% | 36.37% | D+26.6 | 59.38% | 38.20% | D+21.2 | D |
| 91 | 58.67% | 40.92% | D+17.8 | 59.17% | 39.23% | D+19.9 | D |
| 92 | 74.08% | 25.42% | D+48.7 | 71.50% | 26.66% | D+44.8 | D |
| 93 | 47.43% | 51.88% | R+4.5 | 48.32% | 49.43% | R+1.1 | R |
| 94 | 83.50% | 16.05% | D+67.5 | 81.01% | 17.21% | D+63.8 | D |
| 95 | 86.68% | 12.99% | D+73.7 | 85.09% | 13.47% | D+71.6 | D |
| 96 | 61.11% | 38.32% | D+22.8 | 60.59% | 37.30% | D+23.3 | D |
| 97 | 65.66% | 33.79% | D+31.9 | 65.26% | 32.41% | D+32.9 | D |
| 98 | 60.99% | 38.39% | D+22.6 | 61.02% | 36.58% | D+24.4 | D |
| 99 | 61.62% | 37.75% | D+23.9 | 59.47% | 38.07% | D+21.4 | D |
| 100 | 57.57% | 41.85% | D+15.7 | 58.15% | 39.86% | D+18.3 | D |
| 101 | 79.29% | 20.19% | D+59.1 | 76.54% | 21.27% | D+55.3 | D |
| 102 | 85.86% | 13.86% | D+72 | 83.21% | 15.08% | D+68.1 | D |
| 103 | 54.82% | 44.76% | D+10.1 | 58.71% | 39.21% | D+19.5 | R |
| 104 | 58.34% | 41.21% | D+17.1 | 62.33% | 35.40% | D+26.9 | D |
| 105 | 53.14% | 46.37% | D+6.8 | 56.16% | 41.22% | D+14.9 | R |
| 106 | 31.21% | 68.26% | R+37.1 | 33.84% | 63.71% | R+29.9 | R |
| 107 | 86.16% | 13.52% | D+72.6 | 83.68% | 14.67% | D+69 | D |
| 108 | 89.58% | 10.12% | D+79.5 | 87.11% | 11.24% | D+75.9 | D |
| 109 | 90.13% | 9.58% | D+80.6 | 86.38% | 12.14% | D+74.2 | D |
| 110 | 50.15% | 49.43% | D+0.7 | 52.71% | 45.14% | D+7.6 | R |
| 111 | 47.97% | 51.64% | R+3.7 | 52.16% | 45.66% | D+6.5 | R |
| 112 | 53.53% | 45.94% | D+7.6 | 61.62% | 35.70% | D+25.9 | D |
| 113 | 63.42% | 35.97% | D+27.5 | 67.40% | 30.24% | D+37.2 | D |
| 114 | 50.14% | 49.27% | D+0.9 | 55.75% | 41.60% | D+14.2 | D |
| 115 | 49.45% | 50.03% | R+0.6 | 54.08% | 43.37% | D+10.7 | R |
| 116 | 44.48% | 55.04% | R+10.6 | 50.91% | 46.43% | D+4.5 | R |
| 117 | 82.64% | 17.02% | D+65.6 | 78.36% | 19.57% | D+58.8 | D |
| 118 | 51.39% | 48.14% | D+3.3 | 54.87% | 42.54% | D+12.3 | D |
| 119 | 50.32% | 49.20% | D+1.1 | 55.15% | 42.23% | D+12.9 | R |
| 120 | 52.28% | 46.85% | D+5.4 | 49.21% | 47.52% | D+1.7 | R |
| Total | 50.01% | 49.13% | D+0.9 | 47.82% | 49.02% | R+1.2 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Florida judicial election' OR 'Florida court election' OR 'Florida election 2018'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Counties could add additional early voting days from October 22 through October 26 and/or November 4.
- ↑ Counties could add additional early voting days from October 22 through October 26 and/or November 4.
- ↑ Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, "Candidate Listing for 2018 General Election," accessed May 14, 2018
- ↑ Law.com, "Charles Canady Sworn In as Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice," June 20, 2018
- ↑ Supreme Court Overview
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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
