With 7 city council seats undecided, what will elections look like in May?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There are seven Jacksonville City Council seats that will be decided in the runoff election in May.

As of now, there are 14 Republicans and 5 Democrats sitting on the council. Out of the 19 seats, there will be 12 Republicans and two Democrats with five seats that could go to any party.

The biggest change in the council will be minority representation, which is being addressed in federal court since the city was sued over the redrawn redistricting maps for council boundaries.

Currently, there are seven Black council members. That number will likely drop. As of Tuesday, there will be at least four Black members and there could be as many as six after runoffs.

ELECTION RESULTS: VOTE 2023: Jacksonville City Council

Marcella Washington is one of the people suing the city over the maps. She said she was still optimistic about the results so far.

“We may have one less Black, Democratic representative on city council, but we may pick up a white or white Democrats on council,” Washington said. “It really mirrors what the Republicans are doing in terms of counting Black Republicans.”

The number of women seated on the council is also going to change. As of now, six women are serving. That number as well is likely to drop.

There is one woman who will serve on the board and there could be three more after the run-off.

Political Analyst Rick Mullaney talked about what’s ahead for the council.

“In the end, however, you have eight new council members, and what continues in Duval County is really a red wave for city council members and a red wave for constitutional officers. We have to wait and see on the mayor’s race,” Mullaney said.

The general election will be on May 19.