Important nonpartisan races, including those involving the Sarasota County School Board, await voters, along with party contests
Even though Florida is a closed primary state, “there’s something for everyone on the primary ballot,” the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office staff is reminding voters.
Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner explained in a news release that “closed primary state” means that to vote in a party’s primary, “an individual must be a registered member of that party at least 29 days prior to the election.
The deadline to change party affiliation for the primary election was July 20, the release adds.
“Florida is one of a dozen or so states that has some form of a closed primary system,” Turner continued in the release. “My goal is to make sure voters know about the 29-day requirement and how to change their party affiliation if they choose to.”
Voters may change party affiliation online, in person at one of the elections office locations or by mail, the release says. “Complete details may be found by visiting the Update Voter Information page of SarasotaVotes.gov.”
Turner emphasizes that although Florida is a closed primary state, the Aug. 18 Primary ballot will feature numerous races. “There are three ballot categories for the primary election: Democrat, Republican and Nonpartisan,” he said. “We all know there will be primary races on the Democratic and Republican ballots, but there are also important School Board and universal primary contest races on the Nonpartisan ballot,” Turner added.
For more information, visit the Primary Elections page of SarasotaVotes.gov or call 941-861-8619.