Key deadlines are approaching with two weeks to go until Florida Democrats and Republicans hold primaries to choose candidates for the fall election. And everyone can vote in elections for a range of offices, including judges and school board members.
People who want to vote by mail need to act quickly.
And those who prefer in-person early voting are about to get their opportunity to vote that way.
The final day is Election Day, Aug. 20.
Party primaries
Registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in primaries to nominate candidates for the November general election.
Both parties have a U.S. Senate contest, though the races aren’t necessarily competitive. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., for example, is essentially guaranteed to win the nomination for a second term even though there are two other names on the ballot.
Broward and Palm Beach counties have multiple primaries for people seeking their party’s nominations for Congress, Florida Legislature and County Commission. Those are held in districts, so not every voter will have primaries for all those offices on their ballots.
Florida has closed primaries, which means someone who wants to participate must be a registered Republican or a Democrat. The deadline to change party affiliation for the upcoming primary has passed.
Elections
Everyone — Democrats, Republicans, no party affiliation independents, and members of minor parties — can participate in a variety of elections.
Voting that is open to everyone includes nonpartisan contests for judge and School Board.
Even though candidates for those offices don’t run with party labels, Democratic and Republican party organizations have been active in making recommendations to voters registered in their parties.
There are also several contests that are primaries, but since only candidates from one party are running, they’re open to all voters.
The winners of open, universal primaries face the voters only in August, and the position won’t appear on the November general election ballot.
Universal primaries in which all voters can participate include Broward clerk of the circuit court, tax collector and Palm Beach County public defender.
Broward Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott has said that people sometimes believe that if they receive ballots including an open/universal primary that they’ve gotten the wrong one because it includes candidates from the other party. That’s not the case, he said, since all voters get to vote in open primaries.
One of those in a universal primary: Scott, challenged by Russell Bathulia. Both are Democrats. No Republican came forward to run for the office.
Follow the rules
Florida’s election laws are very specific, and can make a difference in whether someone can easily vote in the primaries and nonpartisan elections — or inadvertently miss their opportunity.
A person who makes what seems like a simple mistake or omission may be unable to vote or have the vote counted.
The rules are sometimes confusing, and some deadlines and procedures have changed since the 2022 midterm elections.
Mail ballot requests
There is still time to put in mail-ballot requests, which can be completed online.
Anyone who wants to receive a mail ballot for the upcoming election must make have a request filed with the county supervisor of elections office by 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8.
The deadline is strict; the vote-by-mail ballot request must be at the elections office by the deadline. That includes online applications. Postmarks for mailed applications don’t count.
Anyone who hasn’t submitted a mail ballot request since the 2022 midterm elections, even if they’ve voted by mail before, needs to get in a new request by the deadline.
All mail ballot requests made before the 2022 gubernatorial election have been voided under state law. That means voters who haven’t signed up again won’t get mail ballots for the August primaries and nonpartisan elections or for the November presidential election.
Once early voting has started, people can no longer routinely come into the elections office to pick up a mail ballot under a change in state law. A ballot may only be obtained at an elections office if a voter or an authorized designee signs an affidavit explaining that an emergency prevents the person from utilizing in-person early voting or Election Day voting.
And someone who requests a mail ballot is not required to use it. Voters can still use in-person early voting or vote in their neighborhood polling stations on Aug. 20. Safeguards are in place to prevent someone from voting more than once.
Early voting
Early voting is about to begin.
It will be offered at 28 locations in Broward and 26 in Palm Beach County. People can use any location in the county in which they live.
Both counties run early voting from Saturday, Aug. 10, through Sunday, Aug. 18, the Sunday before Election Day. (Miami-Dade County began early voting on Monday, Aug. 5.)
Hours in Broward are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and hours in Palm Beach County are 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
To vote in person, either at an early voting site or on Election Day, someone must have a current, valid photo ID with a signature. The most common are Florida driver’s licenses or state ID cars.
Many other forms of ID are accepted, including passports and credit or debit cards are accepted. If the photo ID doesn’t have a voter’s signature, the person will have to show another ID with a signature.
Returning mail ballots
People who use mail ballots still have time to return them, but waiting too long can be a problem.
Mail ballots must be back at the county elections office by 7 p.m. on election night, Aug. 20.
Postmarks don’t count.
Voters in both Broward and Palm Beach counties get postage-paid return envelopes.
Elections officials warned against waiting too long to return ballots and risking a Postal Service delay.
Every election there are ballots that arrive late and can’t be counted under Florida law. In close elections there often have been enough uncounted ballots to potentially change the results.
One reason to allow extra time: Some ballots have farther to travel than many people realize. In 2012, as part of a nationwide cost-cutting move, the Postal Service closed the mail processing centers in Fort Lauderdale and Pembroke Pines and shifted the work sorting Broward’s mail to the Opa-locka center.
Broward doesn’t have a final recommended day for using the Postal Service, said Lisa Arneaud, public information officer at the Supervisor of Elections Office.
In Palm Beach County, Alison Novoa, director of strategic initiatives at the elections office, said that “We typically suggest at least one week before Election Day.”
People can also return their mail ballots at early voting sites, during days and times early voting is operating. (Ballots dropped at early voting sites used to go into “drop boxes,” but state law changed the name to “secure ballot intake stations.”)
Completed ballots can be dropped off at county elections offices. After early voting ends on Aug. 18, people can still turn in mail ballots at the Broward or Palm Beach County supervisor of elections office headquarters or at branch offices on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20.
A voter’s designee is allowed to return a ballot on someone’s behalf. However, a designee is limited to two ballots per election and only one can be from someone who isn’t a close relative of the designee.
Election Day
Neighborhood polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Aug. 20.
Anyone who is in line at 7 p.m. is allowed to vote.
People must vote in their assigned polling place on Election Day.
To vote in person, either at an early voting site or on Election Day, someone must have a current, valid photo ID with a signature. The most common are Florida driver’s licenses or state ID cars.
Many other forms of ID are accepted, including passports and credit or debit cards are accepted. If the photo ID doesn’t have a voter’s signature, the person will have to show another ID with a signature.
Information
People can check to see if they’re registered to vote, request mail ballots and check their status, and find locations of polling places online and by phone.
In Broward, phones are answered and three office locations are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In Palm Beach County, phones are answered and offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. During early voting and on Election Day, Aug. 20, phones will be answered from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Aug. 20, offices will open at 7 a.m. Branch offices will close at 5 p.m. on Election Day and the main office in West Palm Beach will close at 7 p.m.
Broward County: browardvotes.gov, 954-357-8683.
Palm Beach County: votepalmbeach.gov, 561-656-6200.
