Lake County Voter Guide
This nonpartisan guide helps voters compare candidates in select races. Not every race below will appear on your ballot, and inclusion below does not constitute endorsement.
All candidates were offered the same questionnaire for their office and an equal opportunity to respond. Questions were optional, and responses are published as submitted. “Did not respond” indicates that a candidate did not submit responses by the deadline. (i) indicates an incumbent.
HOW TO FIND RACES ON YOUR BALLOT
Visit VOTE411.org/ballot and enter your address or visit your Supervisor of Elections website to generate a sample ballot.
Click a section below to expand its races, read the questions, answers, and any comments provided by the candidates. For the background information supplied to candidates for each question, see the questionnaires linked below.
US Congressional District 6
Randy Fine (i)
Republican
Did Not Respond
Andrew Parrott
Libertarian
Did Not Respond
Alec Pavlik
Write-In Candidate
Did Not Respond
Eric Yonce
Democrat
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1. Federal Funding for Private and Religious Schools: Do you support or oppose federal tax credits that help families pay for private or religious K-12 education?
Answer: Oppose
"Federal money should be spent on public education."
2. Nondiscrimination Requirements for Federally Funded Religious Organizations: Do you support or oppose requiring religious organizations, when administering federally funded programs, to comply with the same nondiscrimination requirements toward program beneficiaries as comparable secular organizations?
Answer: Support
"The requirements would be equal for all organizations"
3. Religious Activity in Federally Funded Programs: Do you support or oppose prohibiting the use of direct federal taxpayer funds for religious instruction, worship, or proselytizing?
Answer: Support
"does not allow for true separation of church and state."
4. LGBTQ+ Federal Civil-Rights Protections: Do you support or oppose explicitly adding sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil-rights laws?
Answer: Oppose
"I support explicitly protecting sexual orientation and gender identity under federal civil rights law because everyone deserves equal protection under the law."
5. Abortion Access: Do you support or oppose establishing federal protections for abortion access nationwide?
Answer: Support
"The government has no place in this decision."
6. Churches and Candidate Endorsements: Do you support or oppose changing federal law to allow houses of worship to endorse or oppose political candidates while retaining their tax-exempt status?
Answer: Oppose
"I oppose it. Houses of worship should be free to practice their faith, but tax-exempt organizations should not become partisan political operations."
7. Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
"If we want true freedom of religion, then we need a true separation of church and state."
US Congressional District 11
Ralph Groves
Did Not Respond
Libertarian
James Pericola
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Joe Strada
Republican
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 25
Farmer Banks Helfrich
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Taylor Yarkosky (i)
Republican
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 26
Nan Cobb (i)
Republican
Did Not Respond
Robyn Lawrence
Democrat
-
1. Religious/Conscience Refusals in Health Care and Other Regulated Professions: Do you support or oppose allowing health care providers to refuse otherwise lawful care to patients when the refusal is based solely on the provider’s religious, moral, or ethical beliefs rather than medical judgment or the patient’s preferences?
Answer: Oppose
"Patients deserve lawful, medically appropriate care without discrimination. Personal beliefs should not override medical standards, patient safety, or informed choice."
2. Religious Activity in Taxpayer-Funded Religious Programs: Do you support or oppose prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds for religious instruction, worship, or proselytizing in public-service programs operated by religious organizations?
Answer: Support
"Taxpayers represent many faiths and beliefs. Public funds should provide services not promote religion. This protects religious freedom and the separation of church and state."
3. Government-Sponsored Religious Displays: Do you support or oppose allowing permanent government-sponsored devotional religious displays, such as the Ten Commandments, Bible verses, or crosses, in public schools or government buildings?
Answer: Oppose
"Government must represent people of every faith and no faith. Endorsing one religion violates church-state separation and can make others feel excluded."
4. Voucher-Funded School Nondiscrimination: Do you support or oppose requiring private schools that receive state voucher funds to prohibit discrimination against students and families based on sexual orientation or gender identity?
Answer: Support
"Public funds should never support discrimination. Any school accepting taxpayer-funded vouchers must treat every student and family with equal dignity and respect."
5. Reproductive Rights: Do you support or oppose maintaining Florida’s current six-week abortion restriction?
Answer: Oppose
"Six weeks is before many know they are pregnant. Personal medical decisions should remain between patients and their doctors not politicians."
6. Medically Accurate Sex Education: Do you support or oppose requiring Florida public schools to provide medically accurate, age-appropriate reproductive health education that includes contraception and disease prevention in addition to abstinence?
Answer: Support
"Students deserve accurate, age-appropriate facts to prevent disease and unintended pregnancy and to make safe, responsible decisions."
7. Science Education and Religious Influence: Do you support or oppose requiring public school science instruction to be based on established scientific evidence without presenting religious doctrine as science?
Answer: Support
"Students deserve evidence-based science education that prepares them for college and careers. Religious teachings belong in faith settings, not science classes."
Florida House District 27
Andy Ferrari
No Campaign Website
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Richard Gentry (i)
Republican
Did Not Respond