Tuesday, Aug. 18, is the Florida Statewide Primary election, a mix of party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, such as school board races, judicial races, and county commission races in some counties.<\/p>\n
[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you\u2019re eligible to vote<\/a>|How to vote by mail<\/a>|Election Myths<\/a>]<\/p>\n Florida has a closed primary system<\/a>, which means only members of a political party may vote in those elections. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20. <\/p>\n July 20 was the deadline to register to vote for the Florida Statewide Primary. <\/p>\n [WATCH: Election security, voter fraud and vote by mail: Central Florida supervisors answer tough questions]<\/p>\n What\u2019s on the ballot?<\/p>\n Registered Democrats and Republicans will be choosing candidates to be on the ballot in the November general election. They include races for governor and other Florida cabinet seats, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Florida House and Senate, and in some counties, county commission seats that are partisan.<\/p>\n If you are not a Democrat or a Republican, though, there are still lots of races on the ballot for you — school board races, judicial races, and any nonpartisan county commission seats. <\/p>\n Your county elections supervisor will send out a sample ballot ahead of the primary, so watch your mailbox. That will tell you what races will be on your particular ballot.<\/p>\n You can also look up your ballot on the county election supervisors\u2019 websites below.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, the president is an important election. Yes, the governor is at the general, but they\u2019re not the ones worrying about your potholes, your schools, your roadways, your stormwater issues,\u201d said Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock.<\/p>\n Pennock was one of six election supervisors who recently joined News 6 and other members of the News Collaborative of Central Florida<\/a> for a wide-ranging discussion on election issues.<\/a> Central Florida Public Media<\/a> hosted the discussion.<\/p>\n In addition, some Florida House of Representatives races will be decided in August in what are called \u201cuniversal primaries,\u201d said Osceola County Supervisor Mary Jane Arrington.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are races where there\u2019s only one party running, and that selection will be made,\u201d Arrington said. \u201cAnd in the primary, House District 47, in Osceola County, will be a universal primary for every voter.\u201d<\/p>\n News 6 and its partners at the News Collaborative of Central Florida are working on a comprehensive voting guide with candidate information. Look for that guide in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Vote by mail<\/p>\n The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Aug. 6. To request a VBM ballot, go to your county supervisor of elections office website. You can find a list of the county offices in the state on the Florida Division of Elections website.<\/a><\/p>\n You will need the statewide request form<\/a>, which you can download there, and then send it in via mail, email or fax. You will need to provide officials the following information:<\/p>\n Voter\u2019s name<\/p>\n Date of birth<\/p>\n Full address<\/p>\n A Florida driver\u2019s license, identification card, or the last four digits of the voter\u2019s Social Security number for verification<\/p>\n You also need to provide a signature<\/p>\n [WATCH: Inside Seminole County\u2019s vote-by-mail count: New system will audit every ballot]<\/p>\n Once the ballot is completed, it must be returned to the supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Be sure to sign the certificate envelope provided.<\/p>\n To learn more about voting by mail and the vote-by-mail process, go HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n What you need to vote in person<\/p>\n In Florida, voting in person is not just for Election Day \u2014 you can also vote early.<\/p>\n To vote, you need to be registered. When you go to your polling place, you need to bring a current and valid photo and signature ID. <\/p>\n The following forms of picture identification are allowed if they are current:<\/p>\n Florida driver\u2019s license<\/p>\n Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles<\/p>\n United States passport<\/p>\n Military identification<\/p>\n Student identification<\/p>\n Retirement center identification<\/p>\n Neighborhood association identification<\/p>\n Public assistance identification<\/p>\n If you do not have a proper photo ID, you will be given a provisional ballot, which will allow you to vote and then later provide documents to prove your identity to the supervisor of elections office.<\/p>\n Also, if your ID does not have a signature on it, you may be asked to provide more forms of identification.<\/p>\n NOTE: The Florida Legislature passed a law<\/a> that will make changes to this, but it will not take effect until January of 2027.<\/p>\n