Orange voters keptelections supervisor’s office busy Monday

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.  — Florida residents who want to vote in the primary elections or change their party affiliation had to register by 5 p.m. Monday, and throughout the day, residents came to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office in person with their driver’s license and Social Security number to register.

“Today (Monday) is the book closing deadline, which state law governs that we must close the ability to register for election 29 days in advance of an election,” said Blake Summerlin, public information officer for the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office. “Our parking lot is full this morning. So, folks are coming in, they’re seeing that it’s a deadline, and they’re registering because their vote is their voice. And it’s important.”

In this year’s primaries, voters will cast ballots for candidates in their selected party for governor, Congress and state offices. Unless a partisan race is tagged as a “universal primary,” voters who are not affiliated with that political party are not eligible to cast ballots in those races. Nonpartisan city, county, and judicial races across the state are open to all registered voters.  A “universal primary” is where the only candidates qualified to run in that race come from one party only, and state law says that, in that case, that election is open to all voters for the primary election.

This year’s primary elections in Florida are Aug. 18.

According to Orange County Supervisor of Elections Karen Castor-Dentel, Orange County had more than 800,000 registered voters as of July 1.

Hispanics make up almost 26% of those registered voters.

“We understand there’s a highly Hispanic community in Orange County, and we want to make sure that they understand that everything that is in English is in Spanish as well,” said Jeandelize Velez, community outreach coordinator for the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office. “Our ballots are both translated also.”

The Hispanic Federation has been working to educate Latinos about the importance of making their voices heard.

“Sometimes, you know as Latinos say, you know like we’re just voting for when it comes to presidential elections,” said Eli Garcia, director of community outreach and engagement for the Hispanic Federation. “But you know you also have local elections. They make decisions locally and impact you right away.”

For months, the organization has been sharing one message across the Hispanic community.

“Make sure that you go out and vote and make your voice heard, because your vote is really important, and it’s going to shift the changes you want to see in your community,” Garcia said.

In Orange County, early voting begins on Aug. 3 and continues through Aug. 16 ahead of the primary election.

Voters who want to cast their ballots by mail must request that a Vote-by-Mail ballot be mailed to them by 5 p.m. on Aug. 6. After that deadline passes, they may still pick up a Vote-by-Mail ballot in person at a supervisor of elections office through Election Day. Vote-by-Mail requests expire after each federal general election cycle. All prior existing requests expired on Dec. 31, 2024. To continue receiving Vote-by-Mail ballots for elections in 2026, voters must submit a new request. Any request submitted now will expire on Dec. 31, 2026, and must be renewed to continue receiving Vote-by-Mail ballots in the 2027 and 2028 elections.

Prospective voters who missed the deadline can still register to vote in the general election in November. They can register by mail, in person at a Supervisor of Elections Office in the county where they vote, online, at a driver’s license office, tax collectors offices where they issue driver’s licenses, public libraries and at some public assistance offices. People who want to register to vote for the first time in Florida, and/or update their voter registration record with a name change or change of political party affiliation must submit their application with an original handwritten signature. Military service members or U.S. citizens living outside of the United States can register or update their voter information and request an absentee ballot with the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

To be eligible to vote, you must be a resident of Florida, a resident of the United States and must be at least 18 years old by Election Day. You are not eligible to vote if a judge rules you cannot or you have been convicted of a felony and have not yet had their civil rights restored.

When registering to vote, provide your Florida driver’s license number, your official Florida ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.