May 16 is Election Day for special Florida House District 24 race: What you need to know

The general election for the Florida House of Representatives District 24 seat will be held May 16.

Here is what we know:

Who's running?

Ryan Chamberlin is the Republican nominee. He won the GOP primary in March.

The only other candidate in the race is write-in candidate Robert "Foxy" Fox.

All registered voters who live in Florida House District 24 are eligible to vote. For more details, and to see if you live within District 24, visit votemarion.gov.

Previous coverage: Ryan Chamberlin wins Republican primary for state House District 24 seat

Previous coverage: GOP primary for state House District 24 set for March 7. Meet the candidates

Why is there an election in May?

This is a special election. The seat is open after Republican Joe Harding resigned in December after being indicted on charges of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements relating to COVID-19 funding.

He has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in federal court on July 25.

Do I have to wait until May 16 to vote?

No. Mail ballots are available. They must be requested by 5 p.m. May 6 and must be returned to the elections office by 7 p.m. May 16.

Early voting will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 6-13 at the following locations:

• Election Center: 981 NE 16th St., Ocala

• Belleview Public Library: 13145 SE County Road 484, Belleview

• Deputy Brian Litz Building: 9048 SW State Road 200, Ocala

• Freedom Public Library: 5870 SW 95th St., Ocala

On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more details, and to see if you live within District 24, visit votemarion.gov.

How much money has been raised by the candidates?

Fox, a bail bondsman, had raised $6,700 as of March 31, which is the latest date for which information is available on the state Division of Elections website.

That includes $4,200 he loaned his own campaign and a $250 donation from Dr. Stephen Pyles, who is one of the four candidates Chamberlin defeated in the GOP primary.

Fox had spent almost $5,000, all on signs, as of March 31, according to his campaign expense report.

Chamberlin has collected $165,835, including a $75,000 loan to himself. He had spent $90,000 as of March 30, according to the records on file with the state.

Write-in candidate protocol

Anyone wishing to vote for Fox must fill in the oval for a write-in candidate and actually write his name, as well.

He qualified as Robert "Foxy" Fox, but anything relatively close − Robert Fox, Foxy Fox, Fox, etc. − will be accepted. The canvassing board will settle any close calls.

Filling in the oval is important; that is what triggers the vote scanning machine to take an image of what is written on the ballot.

Only Fox's name will be counted in the write-in total since he is the only candidate who qualified as a write-in candidate.

The election results that come out on May 16, after the polls close, will reflect how many voters filled in the oval next to the write-in candidate. Only later will the elections office actually know how many of those ballots also had Fox's name properly written in.

Another note: Fox's name won't be listed on any official materials at polling places. And poll workers aren't allowed to remind voters of his name.

Chamberlin on the issues

During the five-man GOP primary, Chamberlin portrayed himself as the most conservative candidate. He aims to push back against the "woke movement" and is supportive of legislative measures to make sure only age-appropriate books are used in schools. He said he's supportive of the work Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-majority state Legislature have done during the current legislative session.

Since winning the GOP primary, he has spent time addressing Republican clubs and building relationships, especially with Republicans who may have backed other candidates in the primary. Chamberlin said he also has visited Tallahassee several times.

Still, he has not lost sight of the task at hand: Winning on May 16. His campaign remains aggressive, collecting endorsements from local officeholders and putting up signs.

"Until it's over, it's not over," Chamberlin said. "My focus has been on the election and getting elected."

Fox explains why he's running

Fox said he was tricked into running by those working with Chamberlin to close the primary.

He is a registered Republican and was happy to enter as a write-in candidate so that the primary would be closed to just registered Republicans. (Otherwise, since all the other candidates were Republicans, the primary would have been open to all of District 24's registered voters, regardless of political affiliation.) He said he sought counsel and didn't know they were working with Chamberlin.

Brett Doster, a Tallahassee media strategist and consultant for the Chamberlin campaign, said Fox approached him for assistance. Doster said he made it clear he was working with Chamberlin.

Fox did his own paperwork and made his own decisions, Doster said.

Fox on the issues

Regardless of how he got into the race, Fox is now in it to win it. He has posted campaign signs throughout the district and predicts a history-making victory.

His campaign focuses on justice system reforms, such as requiring all law enforcement officers to wear body cameras that stay on throughout a shift. He also would do away with one law on the books, resisting arrest without violence, which he sees as a catch-all that police officers can abuse.

He argues that property owners who don't have children in the school system should not be required to pay the school-related property tax.

ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

Ryan Chamberlin

Age: 48

Residence: Belleview

Family: Married, four grown children

Occupation: Author, speaker, consultant; co-founder/CEO, True Patriot Network (TPN), a conservative social media and news platform.

Education: Souls Harbor Christian Academy; associate’s degree, College of Central Florida

Community: Music ministry at Souls Harbor First Pentecostal Church.

Robert "Foxy" Fox

Age: 50

Residence: Ocala

Family: Wife, daughter

Occupation: Owner, Foxy Bailbonds

Education: High school, professional education

Community: Florida Cattlemen's Association

jross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: What you need to know: Florida House District 24 election is May 16