Sample ballots are ready and early voting will open in two weeks for the upcoming Ocala City Council special election, which will determine the office of the mayor and the representative for the city’s third district.
Early voting for the city’s special election will open the weekend before the election on Thursday, September 11, at 10 a.m. The poles will be open for early voting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday, September 13.
The city’s special general election is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16.
In July, the Ocala City Council approved qualifying procedures and a schedule for a special election. That action came after all seven previously registered candidates were disqualified for not paying their qualifying fees in accordance with state law.
In District 3, both Mark W. Clark and TamBoura Jenkins re-qualified for the special election. Incumbent Jay A. Musleh, who previously announced that he would not seek another term, entered the race after the qualifying period was reopened.
Although three individuals filed to run for the mayor’s office, only Arbor Feliciano and incumbent Ben Marciano qualified. The third candidate, Neil J. Gillespie, filed a federal lawsuit against the Marion County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Two council incumbents who hold seats in Districts 1 and 5 automatically retained their positions after no candidates ran in opposition.
For more information on the election, or to view your polling location, visit the Marion County Supervisor of Elections’ website.
UPDATE: This story reported the incorrect polling locations for early voting, which was held at the Marion County Election Center. The polling locations reported were applicable to only the special election.