Hard to believe, but election season kicks into high gear Saturday, Aug. 4, when early voting officially begins in Sarasota County. You can cast your ballot between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Saturday, Aug. 4, to Saturday, Aug. 11, at any of these locations:
- Supervisor of Elections Office, Terrace Building, First Floor, 2001 Adams Lane, Sarasota
- Supervisor of Elections Office, Biscayne Plaza, 13640 Tamiami Trail, North Port
- Supervisor of Elections Office, R.L. Anderson Administration Building, Room 114, 4000 Tamiami Trail S., Venice
- North Sarasota Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd., Sarasota
- Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota
We can’t tell you exactly what your ballot will look like, because that depends on your party registration and where you live, but here’s a list of most of this year’s primary races. (Click here to generate a sample ballot specifically tailored to you.)
These are all Republican-only primaries:
- U.S. Senate: Connie Mack vs. Mike McCalister vs. Marielena Stuart vs. Dave Weldon
- Supervisor of Elections: Kathy Dent vs. Jon Thaxton
- County Commission, District 5: Charles Hines vs. Randy McLendon
- State Attorney: Ed Brodsky vs. Peter Lombardo
- Charter Review Board, District 2: Donna Barcomb vs. Marie Nisco
- Charter Review Board, District 5: John Fellin vs. John Scolaro
And these are your universal primaries, in which anyone can vote, even though the candidates are all Republicans. There will be no general election in these races:
- Charter Review Board, District 1: Paul Cajka vs. H. Ross Gustafson vs. Tony Sawyer
- Charter Review Board, District 3: Fred Tower vs. Pat Wayman
- Charter Review Board, District 4: Mark Hawkins vs. Tom Trevor
Democrats can vote in the U.S. Senate primary, too:
- U.S. Senate: Bill Nelson vs. Glenn Burkett
There are a host of city and neighborhood races, as well; most significant are the nonpartisan North Port City Commission races. Click here for a full list of those candidates.