Just in case you haven’t been focused on the current election cycle, it’s August 23, primary election in Florida, and polls across the state will open at 7 am and close at 7 pm local time. Today all registered voters must vote in their actual precincts, not in the early voting sites.
If you didn’t taken advantage of early voting, or you haven’t turned in your vote-by-mail ballot (don’t mail it today), today’s your chance to participate in the primary, which will decide some races that won’t take place in the general election on Nov. 8.
Today’s primary election will decide which candidates will fight to be the sunshine state’s governor, the state House and Senate, the U.S. House and Senate and other state and local positions will be on the general election ballot this November.
Remember, Florida is a closed primary state, so, with some of the races being partisan primaries, only those who are registered members of a political party can vote in that party’s primary today, Republicans can only vote in Republican primaries, and Democrats can only vote in Democrat primaries.
Many races are nonpartisan, which means all voters can vote on those races – depending on where you live.
If you still need to do some candidate research and you’re not sure who’s going to be on your ballot, although a sample ballot was sent out by the Supervisor of Elections Office, you can look up your sample ballot on the SOE website here. Make sure to check out what precinct you vote in. Your precinct may have changed!
PLEASE do not mail a mail-in ballot today. It will not make it to the elections office by 7pm. If you do, it will not be counted. Instead, drop it off at the elections office before 7pm or bring it with you to your voting precinct. They will exchange it will a new ballot, and then you can vote.
To vote you will need to show a current, legal photo ID with a signature. Any of the following photo identifications are recognized:
- Florida driver’s license
- Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
- United States passport
- Debit or credit card
- Military identification
- Student identification
- Retirement center identification
- Neighborhood association identification
- Public assistance identification
- Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
- Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality.
