City

Alachua County’s Aug. 18 primary could decide several races outright

Two Alachua County races — for State Representative District 21 and County Commission District 2 — qualify as Universal Primary Contests because all candidates share the same party affiliation, meaning every registered voter may participate and the August 18 winner takes the seat permanently, with no general election runoff. Several non-partisan races, including Gainesville Mayor and School Board seats, could also be decided on that same date if any candidate clears 50 percent. A local voter and Gainesville Iguana contributor explains the rules and urges residents to treat the primary as a decisive election rather than a preliminary one.

Sources: The Gainesville Iguana