Methodology and neutrality rules

What this guide is

An independent voter guide for Florida's November 3, 2026 general election. It is not affiliated with any party, candidate, committee or government office, and it does not endorse anyone.

Sourcing rules

Every factual claim links to its source: candidate websites and questionnaires, official government records (votes, bills, court filings, agency actions), campaign-finance filings, or reporting from established news outlets.
Positions are described in the candidate's own words wherever possible. Opinion columns and attack ads are not used as evidence of what a candidate believes.
Loaded labels are avoided. A position is described by what it is, not by how supporters or opponents characterize it.
Both accomplishments and criticisms of incumbents appear only as documented facts (a vote, an action, a court ruling, a published fact-check), never as characterizations.

How positions are coded

Each of the 21 statements below is rated by voters on a five-point scale. Candidates are coded on the same scale (+2 strongly agrees through −2 strongly disagrees) from explicit statements ("stated") or from votes and official actions ("record"). When neither exists, the position is null / "No public position found". Nothing is inferred from party label. Unknown positions are excluded from that candidate's match score and are listed openly on the profile, so a candidate with a thin public record shows a smaller evidence base rather than a fake score.

Taxes & spending: "Cutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services." (federal, state, county)
Property taxes: "Florida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue." (state, county)
Property insurance: "The state should intervene more directly in the property-insurance market (rate caps, expanding Citizens, stricter insurer regulation) rather than relying mainly on market-based reforms." (state)
Housing affordability: "Government should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures)." (federal, state, county)
Immigration: "Immigration enforcement should be stricter, including large-scale deportation of people in the country illegally." (federal, state)
Abortion: "Abortion should be legal in most cases (Florida's six-week ban should be repealed or loosened)." (federal, state)
Guns: "Gun laws should be stricter (keep the red-flag law and the age-21 purchase rule; expand background checks) rather than looser (permitless or open carry, lower purchase age)." (federal, state)
Health care: "Government should expand its role in health coverage (expand Medicaid in Florida, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies)." (federal, state)
Social Security & Medicare: "Social Security and Medicare benefits must be protected from any cuts, even if that requires more revenue." (federal)
Education & school choice: "Public money should follow students to private, charter or home schools (universal school vouchers)." (federal, state)
Environment & water: "Protecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs." (federal, state, county)
Growth & development: "Growth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control)." (state, county)
Marijuana: "Recreational marijuana should be legal for adults." (state)
Elections & voting: "Voting should be made easier (mail voting, drop boxes, restoring voting rights) rather than adding new restrictions." (federal, state)
Crime & policing: "Criminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation." (federal, state, county)
Gender identity laws: "Florida's laws restricting gender-affirming care for minors and classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity should remain in place." (federal, state)
Energy & utilities: "Government should promote renewable energy and tighten oversight of utility rate increases, even at the expense of fossil-fuel production." (federal, state)
Tariffs & trade: "Tariffs on imported goods are good for the American economy." (federal)
Ukraine: "The U.S. should continue military aid to Ukraine." (federal)
Trump administration: "I approve of the direction of the Trump administration." (federal, state)
Veterans: "Expanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority." (federal, state, county)

The map and the heat strip

The "landscape map" places each candidate by the average of their coded stances on two fixed groups of statements (economic and social/legal), listed under every map. It is a summary of the same documented positions, not a separate judgment, and a candidate with fewer than three documented statements on an axis is shown in a tray instead of being placed. The colored strip above each comparison table shows how far apart the candidates are on each issue, using a single color that darkens as the gap widens; hatched cells mean fewer than two candidates have a documented position.

How the match score works

For each statement you answered, agreement = 1 − |your answer − candidate stance| ÷ 4. Scores are averaged over the statements that apply to that office and for which the candidate has a documented position, with statements you mark "matters a lot" counted twice. A candidate needs at least three scorable statements to receive a percentage. Answers are stored only in your browser.

Which offices use which issues

Federal races (U.S. Senate, U.S. House) are scored on federal issues such as Social Security, tariffs and foreign aid. State races (Governor, Cabinet, Florida House) are scored on state issues such as property taxes, insurance and school choice. County races are scored on growth, property taxes, public safety, housing and the environment. Positions a candidate has stated on issues outside their office's scope are still shown on the profile, in a separate section.

Coverage across Florida

Statewide offices: 5 fully researched
U.S. House districts: 27 partly researched, 1 fully researched
Florida Senate districts: 11 candidate list only, 9 partly researched
Florida House districts: 11 candidate list only, 22 partly researched, 1 fully researched
County and local contests: 3 fully researched, 15 partly researched, 15 candidate list only

Sumter County's races carry the deepest research because the guide started there. Elsewhere the candidate lists are verified from primary results and qualifying reports, and position research is added as time allows. Florida House districts not listed in this guide have not been researched yet; your county Supervisor of Elections sample ballot is the authoritative list.

Limitations

Information reflects what was publicly available as of the "last reviewed" date in the footer. Candidates change positions and new reporting appears; check the sources for anything that matters to you.
Photos are official portraits or campaign images loaded from their original public locations; if one fails to load, initials are shown instead.
Position research is deepest for the statewide races and for the races on the Sumter County ballot, where the guide began; elsewhere the guide shows verified candidate lists and adds positions as research allows. Seats decided in the August primary or filled without opposition are marked as not on the November ballot.