Walton County Releases Sample Ballots for November Election: What Freeport Voters Will See
Sample ballots for the November 3 general election are now available at votewalton.gov, giving Walton County voters an early look at a ballot that runs from the top of the ticket — Governor and Congress — down to county commission races and three proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution.
For Freeport voters, the ballot opens with the race for United States Senator, where former Attorney General Ashley Moody faces state Representative Angie Nixon and no-party candidate Neil J. Gillespie. Freeport itself spans both of Walton County’s two congressional districts, so which House race appears on a voter’s ballot depends on their street address — not the city name or ZIP code. Congressional District 1 voters choose between Representative Jimmy Patronis, Democrat Gay Valimont and no-party candidate Tyler L. Davis; Congressional District 2 voters choose between Republican Austin Rogers and Democrat Amanda Marie Green. The elections office directs voters to check their voter information card or the district map at votewalton.gov/cdmap to confirm their district.
The marquee contest is Governor and Lieutenant Governor, where Republican Byron Donalds and running mate Bryan Avila head a field that includes Democrat David Jolly with Gwen Graham, Libertarian Scott Eckhard Jewett with Nicole Skelly, and five no-party tickets. Statewide cabinet races include Attorney General, where incumbent James Uthmeier meets Jose Javier Rodriguez; Chief Financial Officer, where Blaise Ingoglia faces Annette Taddeo; and Commissioner of Agriculture, where incumbent Wilton Simpson is challenged by Joey Mendoza Atkins.
Down the ballot, State Senator Jay Trumbull and State Representative Shane Abbott — whose District 5 seat includes Freeport — each face Democratic challengers, Lauren Donahoo and Alex Finney respectively. Two of the five Walton County commission seats are on the ballot: incumbent Danny Glidewell’s District 2 seat, contested by Republican Warren Whitaker, and the District 4 seat held by Donna Johns, where Republican Jim Bagby is running. District 1, the seat Dan Curry holds and whose district office sits on FL-20 in Freeport, is not up for election this cycle.
Voters will also decide six judicial retention questions — Supreme Court Justice Carlos G. Muñiz and five First District Court of Appeal judges, Joseph Lewis Jr., Rachel Nordby, Tim Osterhaus, Clay Roberts and Raymond Treadwell — each a simple yes-or-no on keeping the judge in office.
Three constitutional amendments appear on the ballot. Amendment 1 would grow the state’s budget stabilization fund from 10% to 25% of general revenue collections. Amendment 2 would exempt farm equipment and other tangible personal property on agricultural land from property taxation starting January 1, 2027. Amendment 3 — the property tax measure — would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and cut the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%. The amendment has drawn public opposition from Walton County public safety leaders, who warned the tax restrictions could threaten emergency funding for the sheriff’s office and fire rescue. Walton County School District voters also face a referendum asking whether to continue the current half-mill property tax for four more years, through June 30, 2031, to fund teacher recruitment, extra-curricular programs and classroom technology.
The ballot includes three ways to vote. Registered voters can request a mail ballot until 5:00 PM on October 22 at votewalton.gov/request. Early voting runs 13 days, from Monday, October 19 through Saturday, October 31, at any of four locations — including the Freeport Community Center behind city hall at 124 State Highway 20 West. Election Day polling places are open 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3, and the elections office cautions that some Election Day polling locations have recently changed, so voters should verify their precinct at votewalton.gov/info before heading out.
The deadline to register to vote in Florida ahead of the election is Monday, October 5. New voters and those updating their records can do so at votewalton.gov/register.
Originally reported by the Walton County Supervisor of Elections. Sample ballot: votewalton.gov. Image: Walton County Supervisor of Elections.
