Election supervisors across the region are telling voters to pay attention to the races in the August 18 primary election. During our exclusive WESH 2 phone bank Wednesday at our studios, the supervisors all commented that, on some level, voters wonder if it’s important to vote next month or to simply wait for the general election in November. “They need to vote in this election because there are races that are nonpartisan, maybe a lot of them depending on the county in which you live,” said Lake county Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays. People who want to vote in the August primary must be registered by Monday, July 20. You can do so in person up until the local election headquarters closes or until midnight online. Any changes to party registration must also be made by Monday. Your home address may also be updated, but that is not under the Monday deadline. Addresses can be changed right up to election day, even at the polls, as long as you go to your correct precinct. ELECTION RESOURCES | ID REQUIREMENTS | ELECTION QUESTIONS ANSWERED | VOTE BY MAIL RULES Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington says the radical redrawing of Congressional District lines, especially for District Nine, currently held by Democrat Darren Soto, means precinct locations may have changed since 2024. Arrington said, “Voters have to know where they are going on the 18th because they might discover their new precinct location is different than before.” Addresses can also be updated at early voting locations. Early voting locations, dates and times are different from one county to the next. In Orange, early voting runs from August 3-16. Brevard county Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic stressed that people who sometimes avoid primary elections, or independent voters who think primaries are all about the two major political parties, need to remember that nonpartisan races matter, adding, “We have some very critical nonpartisan races on the ballot this year. We’ve got judicial races, school board, and in Brevard County, we’ve got some municipal as well for the cities of Titusville and Palm Bay.” Brevard and some other counties also have “universal” primaries in which all voters, regardless of party affiliation, can cast ballots because the candidates running in a particular race or both in the same party. For example, in Brevard’s case, the seat five Canaveral Port Authority race is on the ballot and will be open to every voter. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is August 6.ELECTION RESOURCES | ID REQUIREMENTS | ELECTION QUESTIONS ANSWERED | VOTE BY MAIL RULES

ORLANDO, Fla. —

Election supervisors across the region are telling voters to pay attention to the races in the August 18 primary election.

During our exclusive WESH 2 phone bank Wednesday at our studios, the supervisors all commented that, on some level, voters wonder if it’s important to vote next month or to simply wait for the general election in November.

“They need to vote in this election because there are races that are nonpartisan, maybe a lot of them depending on the county in which you live,” said Lake county Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays.

People who want to vote in the August primary must be registered by Monday, July 20. You can do so in person up until the local election headquarters closes or until midnight online. Any changes to party registration must also be made by Monday. Your home address may also be updated, but that is not under the Monday deadline. Addresses can be changed right up to election day, even at the polls, as long as you go to your correct precinct.

ELECTION RESOURCES | ID REQUIREMENTS | ELECTION QUESTIONS ANSWERED | VOTE BY MAIL RULES

Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington says the radical redrawing of Congressional District lines, especially for District Nine, currently held by Democrat Darren Soto, means precinct locations may have changed since 2024.

Arrington said, “Voters have to know where they are going on the 18th because they might discover their new precinct location is different than before.”

Addresses can also be updated at early voting locations. Early voting locations, dates and times are different from one county to the next. In Orange, early voting runs from August 3-16.

Brevard county Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic stressed that people who sometimes avoid primary elections, or independent voters who think primaries are all about the two major political parties, need to remember that nonpartisan races matter, adding, “We have some very critical nonpartisan races on the ballot this year. We’ve got judicial races, school board, and in Brevard County, we’ve got some municipal as well for the cities of Titusville and Palm Bay.”

Brevard and some other counties also have “universal” primaries in which all voters, regardless of party affiliation, can cast ballots because the candidates running in a particular race or both in the same party. For example, in Brevard’s case, the seat five Canaveral Port Authority race is on the ballot and will be open to every voter.

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is August 6.

ELECTION RESOURCES | ID REQUIREMENTS | ELECTION QUESTIONS ANSWERED | VOTE BY MAIL RULES