News Releases

The Florida Bar Re-Launches Voter Education Initiative for 2022 Election

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Bar has relaunched their voter education initiative for 2022, The Vote’s in Your Court, to help educate voters about merit retention elections and the crucial role judges play in the state’s justice system. The initiative features The Guide for Florida Voters, a nonpartisan resource to assist voters in understanding judges and judicial elections.

“Many Floridians don’t understand how our merit retention system works,” said Florida Bar President Gary Lesser. “This is an incredibly important part of our democracy, and ensuring that everyday Floridians have a say in our judicial system is incredibly important. This is why civic education and creating resources is so important to us – there is a great deal of power in our voters’ hands, so it’s important to well informed on these issues.”

The Bar’s primary priorities include educating the public and Bar members on the importance of civics education, merit retention, and the important role of the judiciary as an impartial and independent branch of the government. The Bar has also developed voter resources ahead of this year’s general election (November 8) including posting judicial candidate voluntary self-disclosure statements and merit retention biographies.

In Florida, county and circuit judges are elected directly by the voters in nonpartisan, head-to-head elections. However, state appeals court judges and Supreme Court justices appear on the ballot for merit retention, with voters asked whether individual judges should retain their seats for another term. If not retained, the governor would appoint their replacement.

The Florida Bar encourages voters to visit floridabar.org/thevotesinyourcourt to learn more about merit retention and the judicial candidates on the general ballot.