The contentious Gainesville mayoral race has generated over $100,000 in total campaign contributions; Bielarski has fundraised more than $58,000, while Ward has collected more than $63,000. Ward, currently in his second term as a Gainesville City Commissioner, voted in January to fire Bielarski as general manager of Gainesville Regional Utilities. Learn more about the candidates here.
Ed Book and James Ingle are competing for Harvey Ward's City Commission seat. Book has dedicated his career to law enforcement, serving with the Gainesville Police Department and Santa Fe College police. He now hopes to serve Gainesville residents holding public office. His opponent, Ingle, is an electrician and utility worker of 20 years and a proponent of working class families. Both candidates are particularly concerned with rising GRU rates.
Dejeon Cain and Casey Willits are competing for a city commission seat that David Arreola currently holds. Arreola unsuccessfully ran for mayor in August and is relinquishing the seat.
Cain is a business owner and lifelong Gainesville resident with a background in law enforcement and security. He currently chairs the Affordable Housing Commission and previously chaired the Gainesville Human Rights Board and made major decisions as a part of the Development Review Board. The candidate said he is committed to reducing violent crime, creating affordable housing and planning clean energy projects.
Willits has experience working for statewide civil rights groups and served as a field organizer for both of former President Barack Obama's Florida campaigns. He is active in the Gainesville community, registering new voters, organizing fundraiser for the local pride Center and knocking on doors to get out the vote. He is campaigning on introducing solar energy capabilities, improving the walkability and bikeability of Gainesville and increasing the accessibility of the RTS transit system.
When is early voting?
Early voting will take place from Monday, October 24 to Saturday, November 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday, Nov. 6, early voting will take place only at the Supervisor of Elections Office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Supervisor of Elections Office: 515 N. Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601
- Millhopper Branch Library: 3145 NW 43rd St, Gainesville, FL 32606
- Tower Road Branch Library: 3020 SW 75th St, Gainesville, FL 32608
- Orange Heights Baptist Church:16700 FL-26, Hawthorne, FL 32640
- Legacy Park Multipurpose Center: 15400 Peggy Rd, Alachua, FL 32615
- J. Wayne Reitz Union: 655 Reitz Union Drive, UF Campus, Gainesville, FL 32611
- Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center: 23100 W Newberry Rd, Newberry, FL 32669
How do I vote on election day?
On Nov. 8, polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To vote, bring a valid form of identification to your assigned precinct. The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website has a precinct-finder tool to help voters know where to go on election day.
Can I still register to vote?
The deadline to register to vote in the state of Florida is 29 days before every election. It is too late to register for the Nov. 8 general election, but voter registration is still open for future elections for those who are:
- 18 years of age
- citizens of the United States
- legal residents of Florida
- legal residents of the county in which they will vote
Voting by Mail
A vote-by-mail request form, as well as other information about voting by mail, can be found on the "Voter" section of the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website.