Anyone who wants to vote in the August primaries to nominate party candidates to run in the fall or the nonpartisan summer elections faces a Monday, July 22, deadline to register.
It’s also the deadline for anyone who wants to change a party affiliation to vote in a Democratic or Republican primary if they aren’t already registered in that party.
For others, voting in the Aug. 20 primaries and nonpartisan elections has already started.
On Tuesday, Broward Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott’s office shipped almost 200,000 mail ballots to county voters who’ve signed up to receive them. Palm Beach County mailed ballots on Friday; Miami-Dade County mailed ballots on Thursday.
As soon as voters receive mail ballots, they’re able to complete and return them.Ballots have to be back at the supervisor of elections offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day; postmarks don’t count.
Registration
The deadline to register to vote is Monday. People registering online have until 11:59 p.m. and those registering at an elections office have until they close at 5 p.m., said Scott and Alison Novoa, director of strategic initiatives at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Registrations sent by mail will be processed if they are postmarked on or before July 22, Novoa said. She said it’s important for someone returning an application by mail to examine it closely to make sure it’s complete.
Scott said the easiest way is registering online.
People can also download and print a registration form, or pick one up at elections branch offices, motor vehicle offices and libraries.
People registering or updating their registrations online will need their Florida driver’s license (or state ID card) or the last four digits of their Social Security number, Scott said.
In-person registration is available at supervisor of elections offices, government offices such as tax collectors that issue driver;s licenses or state ID cards, and government offices that include public assistance, public libraries or Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles driver’s license offices.
Someone renewing a driver’s license or state ID card online can also register during that process.
Address changes can be processed after the deadline, if the voter is moving within Florida, say from Broward to Palm Beach County or vice versa, Scott said.
Mail ballots
Broward sent out its initial batch of mail ballots to voters on Tuesday. It was slightly later than Scott would have liked, but within the eight-day window prescribed by state law. The delay, Scott said, resulted from his office’s move into a just-competed new elections headquarters.
Some finishing touches were still being put on the Fort Lauderdale facility on Tuesday. Previously most of the back office operations were handled in a large rented space at the Lauderhill Mall.
Scott joined elections office workers in wheeling 42 dollies of ballots from the work area in which they were assembled and prepared for mailing to a loading dock where they were put in two semi-trailers for delivery to the Postal Service’s Royal Palm Processing and Distribution Center in Opa-locka.
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.
The trucks were accompanied by Supervisor of Elections Office employees — and escorted by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. (Because the trucks crossed the Broward/Miami-Dade county line, FHP was used instead of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, said Mary Hall, chief deputy supervisor of elections.)
State law governing mail voting has changed since 2022.
All requests for vote-by-mail ballots made in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election — when mail voting surged because of the COVID pandemic — and the 2022 midterm elections 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.
Returning mail ballots
Florida law is strict when it comes to returning mail ballots. They must be in the hands of the county supervisor of elections office by the time polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Postmarks don’t count. In every election there are ballots that arrive late and can’t be counted under Florida election law — sometimes more than enough to swing the results of an election.
The Palm Beach County mail voting instructions state that “If you plan to mail your ballot back to us, you should allow at least one week for your ballot to reach our office.”
Ballots can also be returned to county elections offices and early voting sites, when they’re operating.
There is an exception to the deadline: For elections involving federal offices, including the U.S. Senate and congressional primaries on the Aug. 20 ballot, an extra 10 days are allowed for military and overseas ballots to be returned and still get counted.
On the ballot
On Aug. 20, voters will select party nominees for a range of offices, from state Legislature to Congress. In most cases, the primaries are open only to registered voters in the political party holding the primary.
There are also many contests on Aug. 20 open to all voters, including elections for School Board and judges.
In addition, there are several primaries that are open to all voters, regardless of whether they’re registered as Democrats, Republicans, no party affiliation or in minor parties.
Open, universal primaries in which all voters can participate include Florida Senate District 35 in Broward, Broward clerk of the circuit court, supervisor of elections and tax collector, and Palm Beach County public defender.
Key dates
Register to vote/change party: July 22.
Request mail ballot: Aug. 8.
In-person early voting: Aug. 10-18. People can vote at any early voting site (28 in Broward; 23 in Palm Beach County) in the county in which they live.
Return mail ballots: 7 p.m. Aug . 20. Postmarks don’t count.
Election Day: Aug. 20. Neighborhood polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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.
Broward County: www.browardvotes.gov, 954-357-8683.
Palm Beach County: www.votepalmbeach.gov, 561-656-6200.
State Division of Elections: registertoVoteFlorida.gov.
