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Florida holds special primary election to fill vacancies in U.S. House

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., speaks during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Capitol Hill, Feb. 29, 2024, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein
/
AP
Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., speaks during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Capitol Hill, Feb. 29, 2024, in Washington.

The state of Florida is holding a special primary election Tuesday to fill vacancies in the U.S. House of Representatives, following cabinet nominations by President Donald Trump.

The election will determine who will be on the ballot to represent Florida Congressional Districts 1 and 6 in a special election in April, filling vacancies left by Republican Representatives Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz.

Waltz, chosen to be National Security Advisor to the Trump administration, left an empty seat in Congressional District 6, which covers several counties, including Flagler, Marion, Volusia and parts of Lake. The area also includes Putnam and St. Johns counties.

Both registered Democrats and Republicans eligible to vote in these counties may cast a ballot in the primary election in their assigned polling location, which is available at their respective county’s supervisor of elections website.

Democratic voters in these counties have the option of voting for either George A. “Ges” Selmont or Josh Weil for the special election party ticket, while Republicans will see Sen. Randy Fine, Aaron Baker and Eshan Joader on their ballot.

A primary is also underway for Congressional District 1, covering Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties, filling a vacancy left by Gaetz, who was selected to be Trump’s attorney general.

Though Gaetz withdrew from consideration for the cabinet position in November, his seat remains empty.

Registered Republican voters residing in these counties will be able to cast a ballot Tuesday for the seat. Florida is a closed-primary state, meaning only those with the corresponding political affiliation can vote in that party’s primary.

While control of the U.S. House of Representatives is not on the line, Republicans are hoping to fill the empty seats with GOP representatives, to maintain mobility in the slight majority.

Primary vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the county Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. January 28. In-person votes must be cast between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eligible voters must cast a ballot at their assigned polling location, which can be found on DOS.FL.gov/Elections/.

The deadline to register to vote for the general special election determining these empty congressional seats is March 3, while the last day to request an absentee ballot is March 20. Early voting takes place starting on March 22, with election day taking place on April 1.

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