League of Women Voters to Host Manatee School Board Candidate Forums Ahead of August Election
Voters will have an opportunity to hear directly from candidates seeking seats on the Manatee County School Board during two upcoming virtual forums hosted by the League of Women Voters of Manatee County.
The nonpartisan forums will feature candidates running in School Board District 2 and District 5 and will be held via Zoom later this month. School board races in Florida are nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not represent political parties and all registered voters may cast ballots for their preferred candidate regardless of party affiliation or whether they are registered with no party affiliation.
The District 2 Candidate Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, from noon to 1 p.m. Candidates participating include James T. Golden, Sharon Jefferson, Margi Nanney, Cindy Spray and JT White.
The District 5 Candidate Forum will take place Tuesday, June 30, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Candidates in that race are Camden T. Bedinghaus, Jonathan Mullis and Chantal Wilford.
The forums come ahead of the Aug. 18 school board election. Under Florida election rules, a candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the vote plus one additional vote wins outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters in each district race advance to the November general election.
District 4 is not expected to appear on the ballot if incumbent Chad Choate remains unopposed. If Choate is the only candidate to qualify for the seat by the June 12 filing deadline and pays the required qualifying fee, he will be considered elected without appearing on either the August or November ballot.
The League of Women Voters encourages residents to participate in the forums to learn more about the candidates and their positions on issues affecting Manatee County schools before casting their votes.
Registration is required to attend the virtual forums. Additional information about sc
hool board elections and the candidate forums is available through the League of Women Voters of Manatee County and local voter education resources.
