Politics

9 things to know now that the Florida primary election is one week away

By Christopher Heath, WFTV.com
By Christopher Heath, WFTV.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — The primary election is only one week away.

Channel 9 political reporter Christopher Heath is breaking down nine things you need to know before preparing to vote.

READ: Early voting for Florida primary election ends this weekend

  1. Vote early — While the Primary Election isn’t until Aug. 18, you can still vote early and in person. Under Florida law, early voting must be held for at least eight days (Aug. 8-15). The August primary will determine general election races for everything from U.S. Congress and the Florida Legislature, to county offices like property appraiser and clerk of the courts.
  2. More days — Each county’s supervisor of elections is allowed to offer additional days of early voting on one or more of the following days: Aug. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 16.
  3. Mail or drop off — If you requested a mail ballot you can mail it back or you can drop it off at the supervisor of elections’ office or at an early voting location.
  4. Mail request — The deadline to request a mail ballot was Aug. 8.
  5. Mail return — A mail ballot must be returned and received no later than 7 p.m. (local time) on Aug. 18 (the 10-day extension for overseas voters does not apply to the August primary).
  6. County by county — Where you live matters and will change where you can vote: click here to find out county-specific information. (https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/supervisors/)
  7. Closed — Florida is a closed primary state. This means that if a race is contested by more than one party or with a write-in candidate, then only members of that party can vote in the race. The deadline to change or declare a party for the primary was July 20.
  8. Others races — Races that only feature one party or are nonpartisan (judges) will be on all ballots. Even if you are NPA (Non-Party Affiliation) you can still vote in the primary for these offices.
  9. President — Florida held its presidential preference primary on March 17. The state wanted to help shape the race for the White House, so it moved the date forward.

Video: Despite Tweets, Vote by Mail is safe and Election Day cannot be moved by president In a series of tweets Thursday morning the President Donald Trump called into question the integrity of voting by mail.

Cox Media Group

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