Orange 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 8
Michael Haridopolos (i)
Republican
Did Not Respond
Jennifer Jenkins
Democrat
-
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
"I oppose using federal tax credits to divert public resources to private or religious schools that may lack the transparency, civil-rights protections, and accountability required of public schools."
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
"No one should be denied services because of their identity or protected status. Religious freedom must be respected, but organizations receiving public funds must serve everyone equally."
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
"Federal funds should provide the public services for which they were awarded, not worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing. Religious activities should be conducted with private funds."
4. LGBTQ+ Federal Civil-Rights Protections: Do you support or oppose explicitly adding sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil-rights laws?
Answer: Support
"LGBTQ+ Americans deserve clear, enforceable protections from discrimination. Federal civil-rights laws should explicitly protect sexual orientation and gender identity in every area of public life."
5. Abortion Access: Do you support or oppose establishing federal protections for abortion access nationwide?
Answer: Support
"The decision of whether and when to have a child belongs to a patient, not politicians. I support federal protections for abortion, contraception, and emergency reproductive care nationwide."
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: Support
"Houses of worship and other 501(c)(3) organizations should not be permitted to endorse or oppose political candidates while retaining their tax-exempt status."
7. Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
"I’m an educator and former school board member who defeated the future co-founder of Moms for Liberty. I have stood up to extremism and political intimidation before, and I will always defend public education, equal rights, religious freedom, and the separation of church and state."
US Congressional District 9
Dan Green
Republican
Did Not Respond
Darren Soto (i)
Democrat
Did Not Respond
US Congressional District 11
Ralph Groves
Libertarian
Did Not Respond
James Pericola
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Joe Strada
Republican
Did Not Respond
Florida Senate District 10
Republican
Jason Brodeur (i)
Did Not Respond
John Lowndes
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 35
Republican
Erika Booth (i)
Did Not Respond
Eric Gray
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 37
Jane Aman
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Robert Prater
Republican
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 39
Doug Bankson (i)
Republican
Did Not Respond
Jared Fox
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 40
Tuan Le
Republican
Did Not Respond
Ra'Shon Young (i)
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 42
Bonnie Jackson
Republican
Did Not Respond
Felipe Souza Lazaballet
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
"No one seeking lawful medical care should have their health, dignity, or choices put second to a provider’s personal beliefs. Care should center the patient and their informed decisions."
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: Oppose
"Taxpayer dollars should fund services, not religious instruction or proselytizing. Faith is personal, and public funds should serve everyone regardless of values or beliefs."
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
"Public schools and buildings should welcome everyone equally, regardless of religion or whether they practice one at all. Faith should always be a personal choice, not one promoted by government."
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
"If a private school accepts public dollars, it should be held to clear nondiscrimination standards and serve students fairly. Public money needs to come with public accountability."
5. Reproductive Rights: Do you support or oppose maintaining Florida’s current six-week abortion restriction?
Answer: Oppose
"The government has no place in personal medical decisions for someone else. All Floridians deserve full control over their own bodies and futures."
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
"All students deserve medically accurate, age-appropriate health education so they have the knowledge to make informed, responsible decisions about their health and their bodies."
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 the strongest education we can give them. Science classes should be grounded in established evidence so every student is prepared to think critically, compete, and succeed."
8. Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
"I was proudly raised in a Catholic family, and I understand how deeply personal faith can be. I respect the role faith plays in people’s lives. Government should protect our freedom to believe, not impose one belief on others or make deeply personal decisions for us."
Florida House District 43
Areeb Gulzar
No Campaign Website
No Party Affiliation
Did Not Respond
Jorge Malavet
Republican
Did Not Respond
Samuel Vilchez Santiago
Democrat
Did Not Respond
Florida House District 45
Erin Huntley
Republican
Did Not Respond
Leonard Spencer (i)
Democrat
Did Not Respond
School District 3
Diana Moore
Non-partisan race
-
1. What is your relationship to or experience with public schools in your county?
"35 years as a teacher, elected and re-elected Union President, went to Winegard, Walker, Oak Ridge."
2. Voucher Expansion: Do you support or oppose the continued expansion of public funding for private school vouchers and education savings accounts in Florida?
Answer: Oppose
"Parents should have choices within the public schools. The accountability for use of the tax dollars needs to be the same under all entities."
3. Chaplain Program: Do you support or oppose a volunteer school chaplain program in your school district?
Answer: Oppose
"I need more details. Are they taking the place of the SRO, teaching religious education? What is their training and is there a background check? All visitors go through a strict screening for safety."
4. School Library Materials: Do you support or oppose a local school board policy that prioritizes keeping challenged library books accessible to students while a formal review is conducted, unless the material must be removed under state law?
Answer: Did not respond
"I believe in the committee process that I have seen work but believe parents can make these decisions for their own children and not all children."
5. Religious Displays in Public Schools: Do you support or oppose allowing school-sponsored religious displays, such as the Ten Commandments, Bible verses, crosses, or other devotional materials, in classrooms or school buildings beyond what state law requires or what is used in a neutral curriculum context?
Answer: Oppose
"I believe parents are responsible for the religious education of their own children and not the schools, unless they are specifically designated religious schools."
6. Reproductive Health Curriculum: Do you support or oppose comprehensive reproductive health curriculum that includes medically accurate information on disease prevention and contraception alongside required abstinence instruction?
Answer: Support
"This is state law and parents choose if their children participate by signing a form."
7. Release Time for Religious Instruction: Do you support or oppose local school board policies that expand or facilitate "release time" programs for off-campus religious instruction during the regular school day beyond what is required by state law?
Answer: Neutral
"Schools have 180 days to teach the required standards. I believe students should be excused for a religious holiday but religious education can be done at home as each family chooses."
8. Staff-led Prayer and Religious Expression: Do you support or oppose local school board policies that restrict staff-led prayer or staff participation in prayer with students during regular school hours and school-sanctioned activities?
Answer: Neutral
"As long as everyone is given a moment of silence or the opportunity to opt out when they choose to pray in their religious tradition."
9. Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
"I believe we need more solutions and less excuses. Let’s look inward and do exit interviews for students and teachers who are leaving and review the reasons to determine solutions. We can always do better."
Susanne Peña
Non-partisan race
-
1. What is your relationship to or experience with public schools in your county?
"Former OCPS teacher; current OCPS parent and PTA vice president at my son’s school in Orange County."
2. Voucher Expansion: Do you support or oppose the continued expansion of public funding for private school vouchers and education savings accounts in Florida?
Answer: Oppose
"Public dollars should strengthen public schools, not subsidize private schools that are not held to the same standards. Families may choose private education, but taxpayers should not fund it."
3. Chaplain Program: Do you support or oppose a volunteer school chaplain program in your school district?
Answer: Oppose
"Students deserve qualified, trained counselors who serve every child without promoting a particular faith. Religious support should remain a family choice, not a publicly funded service."
4. School Library Materials: Do you support or oppose a local school board policy that prioritizes keeping challenged library books accessible to students while a formal review is conducted, unless the material must be removed under state law?
Answer: Support
"Students deserve access to books and ideas, not censorship. One objection should not remove a book for everyone; materials should remain available while a fair review is completed."
5. Religious Displays in Public Schools: Do you support or oppose allowing school-sponsored religious displays, such as the Ten Commandments, Bible verses, crosses, or other devotional materials, in classrooms or school buildings beyond what state law requires or what is used in a neutral curriculum context?
Answer: Oppose
"Public schools should welcome students of every faith and no faith—not be weaponized to promote one religion over another."
6. Reproductive Health Curriculum: Do you support or oppose comprehensive reproductive health curriculum that includes medically accurate information on disease prevention and contraception alongside required abstinence instruction?
Answer: Support
"Students are entitled to medically accurate, age-appropriate health education that provides the facts to make informed decisions about their bodies, including disease prevention and contraception."
7. Release Time for Religious Instruction: Do you support or oppose local school board policies that expand or facilitate "release time" programs for off-campus religious instruction during the regular school day beyond what is required by state law?
Answer: Neutral
"Any release-time policy should be voluntary, available fairly to all faiths and groups, and structured so students do not lose meaningful instructional time."
8. Staff-led Prayer and Religious Expression: Do you support or oppose local school board policies that restrict staff-led prayer or staff participation in prayer with students during regular school hours and school-sanctioned activities?
Answer: Support
"Staff and students should be free to practice their faith, but schools should not promote or push religious participation. In their official roles, staff should not lead or participate in prayer."
9. Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
"I am a woman of faith, but I believe faith is deeply personal. It is not the role of government or public schools to tell anyone what to believe or how to practice. Curriculum and financial decisions should always be grounded in what is best for students and families, not religion."