ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Several races in St. Johns County will be determined in August's primary election, one of them most likely being the race for sheriff.
What makes the St. Johns County sheriff's contest an interesting one is that the winner will be decided solely by Republicans, thanks to the write-in candidate.
There are essentially two people running for sheriff -- current Sheriff Rob Hardwick and his challenger Jim Priester. There is a write-in candidate, but this person has not campaigned.
Priester has been in law enforcement for nearly three decades, and has said morale has never been so low at the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. Hardwick has touted a reduced crime rate under his leadership the last four years.
Whoever wins this primary race will move on to the general election to face the write-in candidate, whose name is not on the ballot. They are essentially there to close the primary off to only Republicans, because when there are candidates from multiple political affiliations, the primaries are closed off to the individual parties.
Whoever wins the election between Hardwick and Priester in the August primary will essentially become the next sheriff of St. Johns County.
The candidates are listed below. Live results can be found at the bottom of this page. Results for all elections can be found by clicking here.