The Florida 2024 primary election will be held on today, but nearly two million Florida voters have already cast their ballots through early voting.
So far, more than 27,000 Escambia County voters and more than 18,000 Santa Rosa County voters have cast their ballots for the primary election. In total, Florida has had 1,919,237 early votes.
Florida is a little different, as it’s one of 10 states with closed primaries. That means voters can only vote for candidates who represent their registered party; Republicans must vote for Republicans, Democrats for Democrats, and non-party-affiliated voters must wait to cast their vote in the general election in November for all but non-partisan races such as school board.
Polls for the Florida primary election will open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. Here’s what to know to vote.
Escambia, Santa Rosa County voting guide Who are the candidates for the primary election
Is it too late to turn in my vote-by-mail ballot in Florida?
No, but you won't want to mail it. Instead, you'll want to drop it off at a secure drop box at your local Supervisors of Elections' main and branch offices before polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Alternatively, you can decide to forego turning that ballot in and vote in person. What you'll need to do is bring your vote-by-mail ballot to the polls and give it to an election worker, explaining that you want to vote in person. They will provide you with a regular ballot that you'll fill out as normal.
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What are the primary elections?
The language used to describe elections can be a little confusing. A primary election sounds like it would be the main event, but while it's important, that's not quite accurate. Primaries are used to select the candidates that will represent political parties in the general election.
When you're voting in a primary election, you're not voting Republican versus Democrat versus a third-party candidate. Instead, you will choose which Republican or Democratic candidate will represent its respective party in a given race.
Primary vs general election
While the primary election is used to choose each party's respective candidates, the big showdown in November is referred to as the general election. During the general election, voters will make their final decision on who they want to elect as president and vice president, along with who will represent them in coinciding local races.
What is a closed primary?
Florida is one of 10 states that conduct closed primaries. During a closed primary election, voters are only allowed to vote for candidates that represent the voter's registered party. That means if you're a Democrat, you can only vote for Democratic candidates. No party affiliate voters aren't allowed to vote in any partisan primary election races during the primary election
When do we vote for president in 2024?
The 2024 general election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
What type of ID can you bring to vote?
Florida allows 12 methods of ID that can be used to vote. To vote in person, you must bring a current and valid photo ID with a signature.
Florida driver's license
Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
United States passport
Debit or credit card
Military identification
Student identification
Retirement center identification
Neighborhood association identification
Public assistance identification
Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality.
How to find your precinct and polling site to vote
You can find your precinct and polling site by heading over to EscambiaVotes.gov. Click on the "Find my precinct" button. You'll be taken to a new page where you'll enter your house number and street name.
Santa Rosa County voters can find their precinct and polling site by heading over to VoteSantaRosa.gov. Click on the "Find my precinct" button. You'll be taken to a new page where you'll enter your house number and street name.
This information can also be found on your voter information card.
What time do polls open during the 2024 Florida primary election?
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election day. If you're still in line to vote at 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to cast your vote.
What to expect when voting in person?
Never voted in person? No problem, here's what to expect in Escambia County:
You'll enter the polling location.
Present your identification using one of the options above. The election worker will use this to find your information.
Once your identification has been confirmed, your signature will be verified against the ID provided using the signature pad.
You'll then receive a ballot and a secrecy sleeve.
Take both of those into the privacy booth or a ballot-marking device.
Mark and review your selections before taking your ballot to the tabulator.
Enter your ballot into the tabulator. This is the part where you get your "I Voted" sticker.
If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask any of the election workers on site.
How to fill out your ballot
Filling out your voting ballot is an easy process. You'll mark the ballot by penciling in the oval to the left of your choice, just like multiple choice answers in school.
If you're voting for a write-in candidate, you'll make the oval next to the "Write-in" option while printing your preferred candidate's name on the blank line.
Once you have reviewed your ballot and everything looks good, you'll insert it into the digital scan tabulator. If you have any problems during the process, just reach out to an election worker and they'll get you sorted out.
Who is on the Escambia, Santa Rosa County ballots?
For a complete list of races in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, check out this story. In addition to races, Q&As with most candidates are included.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia, Santa Rosa primary election day: Everything you to know
