Florida Primary Election Rules For Dummies

Florida Primary Election Dates

Florida Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 28th.

Early voting for the Primaries starts Monday August 13th and ends Sunday, August 26th.

After the 26th, you have to vote on Election Day.

You may vote early in person and also by mail.

It is much easier, especially for the elderly, to vote by mail.

Help the elderly in your family request a mail-in-ballot.

Remember, Florida is a swing state and every vote matters.

How To Request A Mail In Ballot

It’s pretty easy online.

Just find your county Supervisors of Elections’ website. 

There are 67 counties in Florida.

Once you find yours, just follow directions.

Here is the link for Miami-Dade.

Here is the link for Broward County.

And Palm Beach County too.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is August 22nd.

Postage is free. This is the easiest way to vote. Also, just because you request a mail-in ballot, you can still opt to vote in person.

It (should) go without saying you only get to vote once.

No Such Thing As Absentee Ballot

To mail in a ballot, back in the day, a voter needed to request an absentee ballot providing a reason or excuse as to why they couldn’t vote in person. In 2016, Florida passed a law replacing the term “absentee ballot” with the term “vote-by-mail ballot.”  

Any registered eligible voter may vote by mail.

Registration

If you are not a registered Florida voter, it is too late for the Primary elections, but you can still register to vote for the midterms in November.

Find your County here and register to vote.

If you are a registered Florida voter, it is time to gear up for the Primary Elections. We are choosing a new Governor, Attorney General, Agriculture Commissioner,  and every seat in the National and State House, and many seats in the Senate.

Closed Primary Florida Elections

In  Florida, primary elections are closed, meaning only a registered Democrat can vote in a Democratic primary and a registered Republican may vote in a Republican primary.

Early Voting

Early voting for the Florida Primaries starts Monday August 13th and ends Sunday, August 26th.

After the 26th, you have to vote on Election Day.

For early voting locations, check your county Supervisors of Elections’ website.  

Let’s vote.

Despite what the world believes, Miami is more than South Beach.

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J.J. Colagrande

Has written about Miami culture for twenty years, first with The Miami Herald, then Miami New Times and Huffington Post. He's the publisher of The Jitney and a full-time professor at Miami Dade College.