Voter Registration Deadline Is Monday

July 30, 2016

Florida residents face a Monday deadline to register to vote in the August 30 primary elections.

The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office will hold extended hours — from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. — on Monday, August 1, to allow voters to register or change parties before the book closing deadline.

Florida law mandates that registration books close 29 days before an election. New registrations and party changes must be completed and received or postmarked no later than August 1, in order for them to be effective for the August 30, election. Address changes can be made after the books close. If you are unsure of your registration status, visit EscambiaVotes.com and click Am I Registered?

Florida is a closed primary state. In a primary election, voters may only vote for candidates in their party of registration unless there is a universal primary contest, a nonpartisan contest, or other issue on the ballot.

The primary ballot will include partisan races for the U.S. Senate and many congressional and legislative seats. Also, many areas will have non-partisan local races, and voters statewide will be able to cast ballots on Amendment 4, which would give commercial property owners a tax break on renewable-energy devices similar to one given to residential property owners.

Voter turnout during the 2014 primaries was 18 percent, but Secretary of State Ken Detzner said he expects that number to be higher this year. More than 2 million vote-by-mail ballots have already been sent to Floridians.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News