11 candidates are on the November 3, 2026 ballot across 6 Duval County races, led by the Duval County Court Judge Group 13 contest; 1 more race was decided at the primary.
Candidate roster last updated Sep 6, 2026 from official election sources. Enter your ZIP code at theballotbrief.com to see your exact 2026 ballot.
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Local Snapshot
Election DayNov. 3, 2026
StateFlorida
Races Listed7
Profiles13
Duval County Sample Ballot 2026: Races We’re Tracking
August 18 result: no candidate won a majority, so Octavius A. Holliday Jr. (37 percent) and Melina Buncome (33 percent) advance to a November 3 runoff, per News4JAX. Results are unofficial until the county canvass.
Octavius A. Holliday, Jr.▾
Holliday earned a J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law and has served since 2003 in the State Attorney's Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit, per the campaign site. Holliday has led the office's Human Rights Division and Community Crime Strategies Unit, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Balanced, fair judicial decision-making · Building public trust in the courts · Community safety and equity in the justice system (per the campaign site)
Raised $17,916.96 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Buncome has nearly 30 years of courtroom experience as a public defender in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, per the campaign site. Buncome previously served as Felony Division Chief, supervising attorneys handling the most serious and complex cases, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Fair and impartial application of the law · Treatment-focused specialty courts for veterans, mental health, and drug cases · Access to justice through legal aid and youth mentorship (per the campaign site)
Raised $12,350 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
August 18 result: Donovan Bradley led with 49 percent but fell short of a majority, so he and Donna Mae Westrich (39 percent) advance to a November 3 runoff, per News4JAX.
Donovan Bradley▾
Bradley is the son of a 30-year public school teacher and a former student in Duval County schools, per the campaign site.
Priorities: School safety, including fixing crossing guard shortages · Expanding school choice options · Paid, credit-bearing internships for high schoolers (per the campaign site)
Raised $53,101 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Westrich is a public school educator with more than 20 years of classroom experience, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Competitive pay and sustainable workloads for educators · Making Duval schools an attractive choice through parent engagement · Transparent, classroom-first budgeting (per the campaign site)
Raised $9,936.02 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
August 18 result: James Jacobs (39 percent) and Rhodesia Butler (35 percent) advance to a November 3 runoff, per News4JAX. Results are unofficial until the county canvass.
Rhodesia "Rho" Butler▾
Rhodesia Butler is a retired Duval County Public Schools educator and 35-year business owner who has worked with the Boys and Girls Club, per News4Jax.
Priorities: School safety · Teacher retention · Career and workforce education expansion (per the News4Jax)
Raised $12,071.08 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Jacobs has worked in education since 2001 across public, private, and charter schools and currently serves as a Dean of Students, per the campaign site. Jacobs holds a master's degree in educational management and administration and is pursuing a doctorate in organizational leadership, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Teacher retention · Student retention · Higher pay for educators and coaches (per the News4Jax)
Raised $8,203 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Gracie Bell Kearse-McCastler is a 33-year Duval County educator, a former teacher and assistant principal, per News4Jax. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 6, 2026.
Priorities: Addressing the school-to-prison pipeline · Reducing disciplinary referrals among minority students (per the News4Jax)
August 18 result: Lindsey Denmark (33 percent) and Clarence James (21 percent) advance to a November 3 runoff, per News4JAX. Results are unofficial until the county canvass.
Clarence "CJ" James▾
James is a retired lieutenant from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office with more than 20 years of service and currently works as a police sergeant with the Duval County School Police, per the campaign site. James previously served as a legislative staff member for the Florida House of Representatives, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Budget transparency and contract reviews · Fully fund the district police department · Improve literacy and graduation rates (per the campaign site)
Raised $100,637.43 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Denmark is a state-licensed Florida Realtor with 15 years in real estate and a former grant consultant for municipal infrastructure projects, per the campaign site. She leads a public school literacy program and serves as a Children's Ministry Director, per the campaign site. She is running for Duval County School Board, District 6, per the campaign site.
Priorities: Safe and orderly schools, per her campaign site · Early literacy intervention and strong academics, per her campaign site and News4Jax · A fiscal audit and responsible stewardship, per her campaign site and News4Jax
Raised $86,688 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
Charlotte Joyce is a Board Member for District 6 on the Duval County Public School Board, first elected in 2018. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of North Florida and previously worked as a Magnet Coordinator at Joseph Stilwell Jr. High School, bringing an educator's perspective to the board. In her first term, she advocated for fiscal accountability and transparency.
Darryl Willie is a member of the Duval County Public School Board, representing District 4 in Florida, a position he assumed in 2019. He earned a B.S. from North Carolina State University and an M.Ed. from the University of Georgia, and has worked as a director of district and community partnerships with Teach for America since 2011.
Priorities: Holding himself accountable for the success of every student · Creating clear and consistent communication structures that inform and engage students, parents, and families · Providing more innovation and preparation
DECIDED August 18: Matt Lufrano won outright with 57 percent (79,154 votes) over Latoya Williams Shelton, per News4JAX with over 99 percent of precincts reporting. This race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.
These race previews show candidates we’re tracking now. A ZIP code shows your statewide and congressional races; a street address adds county and city contests. Local races are address-specific. This guide previews tracked contests, while the lookup tool narrows the list to a voter’s exact address. Tap any name to see the race, full candidate profiles, and everything else on your exact ballot.
Sample ballot by ZIP code in Duval County
Each ZIP page previews the statewide and congressional races for that ZIP; add a street address in the lookup for county and city contests.
Note: Use address lookup for your exact ballot; local pages preview tracked races.Profiles: Hand-verified profiles are added race by race; always confirm with the official election office linked above.
Buncome has nearly 30 years of courtroom experience as a public defender in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, per the campaign site. Buncome previously served as Felony Division Chief, supervising attorneys handling the most serious and complex cases, per the campaign site.Priorities: Fair and impartial application of the law · Treatment-focused specialty courts for veterans, mental health, and drug cases · Access to justice through legal aid and youth mentorship (per the campaign site)Raised $12,350 · per Supervisor of Elections filings
