An important registration deadline is looming ahead of Florida’s primary election on August 20.
To participate in the primary election, voters must register with their county supervisor of elections by July 22. Voters also have until that time to change their party affiliation.
UCF’s political scientist Aubrey Jewett said that's important because Florida is a closed primary state.
“You have to be registered with a political party if you want to participate in that party's primary,” Jewett said.”That means just as an example, if I wanted to vote in a Republican primary contest, I have to be registered as a Republican. Or conversely, if I wanted to vote in a democratic primary contest, I'd have to be registered as a Democrat.”
You have to do it 29 days before the election is going to happen,” said Jewett, “which is why we get this magical due date coming up soon.”
To participate in the upcoming primary by mail, requests must be made to a voter’s supervisor of elections by August 8. Following a change in Florida law, vote-by-mail requests expired in December, 2022.
All voters regardless of party affiliation could have races on their ballots,, according to Jewett.
“I always stress with my students that even if you are not registered with a political party, there still may be some things on your ballot that you can vote for,” Jewett said. “Sometimes there's some local races and some judicial races that are on the primary ballot. So you don't have to be a member of a party to vote in them.”
