Elections are upon us and if you want your voice to be heard, you better be registered to vote. Florida law requires voters to register with the state 29 days prior to an election. The Democratic and Republican primaries will be held on August 28 and the general election will be held on November 6. To vote in the primaries, you must register by July 30, and to vote in the general election, you must register by October 9.

You can register to vote online here or register via mail by printing and mailing these forms (Eng/Sp). You can also pick up these forms at any county Supervisor of Elections office, local library, or any entity authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to issue fishing, hunting or trapping permits. You can also apply in person at any Tax Collector’s office that prints Driver’s Licenses.

Primaries are held by each political party to determine which candidates will run in the general election. When you register to vote, you have the option of choosing a political party or no party affiliation. Remember, to vote in a primary you must be registered as either a Democrat or Republican.  

The Democratic Party’s primary will probably not hold an election for the party’s candidate for Senate, since 3-term Democratic Senator Bill Nelson will be running against exiting Governor Rick Scott in the general election. The Democrats will be voting on 19 of 27 candidates for the US House of Representatives. The Democratic party’s pick for Governor of Florida has seven potential candidates to choose from:

• Andrew Gillum
• Gwen Graham
• Jeff Greene
• Christopher King
• Philip Levine
• Alex Lundmark
• John Wetherbee

The Republican Party’s primary has four candidates on the ballot for Senate, Roque De La Fuente, former governor Rick Scott, Lateresa Jones and Howard Knepper. The Republicans will be voting on candidates for 12 of the 27 seats for the US House of Representatives. The Republican party’s pick for Governor of Florida has 8 potential candidates to choose from:

• Don Baldauf
• Ron DeSantis
• Timothy Devine
• Bob Langford
• John Joseph Mercadante
• Bruce Nathan
• Adam Putnam
• Bob White

Both parties will also be choosing candidates to run for the office of the Florida Attorney General, as well as multiple seats for state senate.

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