This coming Monday is the last day to register to vote or to change your political party in time for the August 20th primary election in Florida. It’s likely many races will be decided at that time.
Leon County Elections Supervisor Mark Earley wants to make sure voters return an eligible ballot and that they have the most updated party affiliations. He’s urging them to check their registration status at LeonVotes.gov and, if necessary, make changes to their party affiliation. That’s because some primaries are closed, and voters can only vote in closed primaries that align with their party affiliation.
Everyone can vote in non-partisan races.
“And many of those nonpartisan races will be decided in the primary election," Earley says. "So, make sure you get out there and vote. You’ll be one of, say, 35 percent of our registered voters voting instead of 75 or 80 percent. So, your vote has a bigger impact in the primary.”
He says people who expect to vote by mail should check that status, too. Florida’s laws have changed, and now it’s necessary to request a Vote by Mail ballot after every general election.
“Vote by Mail ballots and election mail in general gets treated differently by the post office," Earley says. "It’s got special logos or special bar codes on there to alert the machinery that this is official election mail or an official ballot. And so it’s a very high priority for the post office to make sure that those ballots get delivered to the voter and then back to my office on time.”
Earley says his office will stay open late on July 22 to make sure that everyone has the chance to register or change their political party affiliation.
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Voters may register or change their political party using any of these methods:
· Online at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov (complete by 11:59 p.m. on July 22).
· Mail a voter registration form to PO Box 7357, Tallahassee, FL 32314-7357 (must be postmarked by July 22).
· Visit the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office at 2990-1 Apalachee Parkway (corner of Apalachee Pkwy and Capital Circle SE). Office hours are extended to 7 p.m. on July 22.
