Everything you need to know to vote in Florida’s August 20 election

ORLANDO, Florida. – Another election year is upon us and there is no better time than now to make sure you are ready to vote.

You may already know that there will be a presidential election in 2024. But before that big election happens in November, we have a primary on Tuesday, August 20, and early voting has already begun.

This election features party primaries and non-partisan races for the following positions:

• 1 seat in the US Senate

• Several seats in Congress

• Members of the Florida Legislature (Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives)

• Prosecutors

• County offices (commissioners, school board members, sheriffs, election officials, etc.)

• Judicial offices

• City elections and referendums

(RELATED: Here’s everything you need to know to vote in Florida in 2024)

Here’s what you need to know.

Is your voter registration up to date?

Before you even go to the polls, make sure your voter registration is valid. To do this, go to Register to Vote Florida.gov and click the “Am I already registered?” button. This is an official website of the Florida Division of Elections and can pull your information from the voter rolls.

When displaying your registration, make sure your address and voter status are correct.

Your address must be updated so that you vote in the correct elections and are assigned to the correct precinct on Election Day. Your voter status should be “Active” and not “Inactive.”

If not, you can easily update the information by contacting your county election office. You can find your county’s website HERE. Both details can also be updated at the polling station, but it is better to do so before voting.

If you know you are registered to vote but your voter information is not showing, contact your returning officer. If your political party is not correct, you must also contact your returning officer.

The deadline to make sure you can vote in this election was in July. If you want to make sure you’re registered to vote in November, the deadline is October 7, so get registered to vote as soon as possible.

What is on your ballot?

Many of the races on the August 20 ballot are only for people registered as Democrats or Republicans, but there are also a number of general primaries – when only candidates from one party are eligible for office – so the primaries are open to all voters.

The following races are universal primaries:

• 15th Senate District of Florida (part of Orange County)

• 41st District of the Florida House of Representatives (part of Orange County)

• 44th District of the Florida House of Representatives (part of Orange County)

• Public Defender of the 9th Judicial District (Orange and Osceola Counties)

• County Commission elections in Flagler, Marion, Polk and Sumter counties

• Some elections for constitutional officials, such as the Marion County Sheriff or the Sumter County School Superintendent

Each county also has nonpartisan races. Many of these are races for school board or judgeships. The three commission races in Orange County are all nonpartisan, as is the race for council president in Volusia County. Then there are 16 cities and towns with government races or referendums.

Each county election office has mailed you a sample ballot. This is an unofficial version of your ballot, so you know in advance what it will look like when you vote. You can even fill out the sample ballot ahead of time and take it with you to the voting booth to fill out your actual ballot.

So check your mailbox. You can also view your sample ballot online at your county election official’s website. Below is a link to your Central Florida county’s website.

3 ways to vote

EARLY VOTING

Early voting is officially underway across Florida and will run through Saturday, August 17, with the exception of Orange and Osceola counties, where early voting will run through Sunday, August 18.

Voting early not only gives you more days to vote, but also more places where you can vote in person.

Places where you can cast your early vote include libraries, community centers, recreation centers, and the county election office. You can cast your early vote at any of these polling places as long as you live in that county. Staff there can print your ballot. Don’t forget to bring a photo ID.

• Polk County: Polls will be open from 9am to 6pm until Saturday, August 17. Find a polling place.

VOTE BY MAIL

The deadline for requesting a postal ballot has already passed, so this is for people who already have a ballot.

Secure ballot drop-off locations have returned to early voting locations. These are manned drop boxes where absentee voters can drop off their ballots. This is very convenient for absentee voters who are concerned about their ballots arriving at the U.S. Postal Service by Election Day. Your postal ballot must be received at the polling station by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20. This is in the office on that day and does not have that day’s postmark.

Further information on postal voting:

• Remember to sign the envelope for your VBM ballot.

• Your signature will be verified when your ballot arrives at the election office. If staff believe your signature does not match the one recorded at the election office, they will ask you to “correct” your ballot. They will try to reach you any way they can, by email, phone, or mail, no matter what contact information they have for you. They must correct your ballot for it to count.

• Each county election office offers you the ability to track your VBM ballot to ensure it is returned and accepted on time and to notify you if there is a problem. Go to your county election office and make sure you are signed up for it. In Central Florida, most use a system called BallotTrax.

• If you think you cannot submit your ballot by the deadline, you can hand it in at your polling station on election day. You will submit the VBM ballot and receive a normal ballot.

Further details on postal voting can be found HERE.

ON ELECTION DAY

On Tuesday, August 20, you must vote at your polling station. All polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Don’t forget to bring photo ID.

The details of your constituency will be sent to you by your district returning officer with the sample ballot paper, but you can also find it online.

ORANGE COUNTY: Find your polling station on election day

SEMINOLE COUNTY: Find your polling station on election day

OSCEOLA COUNTY: Find your polling station on election day

Volusia County: Find your polling station on election day

BREVARD COUNTY: Find your polling station on election day

MARION COUNTY: Find your polling station on election day

Lake District: Find your polling station on election day

SUMTER COUNTY: Find your polling station on election day

FLAGLER COUNTY: Find your polling station on election day

POLK COUNTY: Find your polling station

More information about voting on election day:

• You can bring with you all the instructions you need to vote.

• Color the circle next to each option on the ballot. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know this and get it wrong.

• If you tamper with your ballot, you can request a new one.

• You don’t have to vote in every race on the ballot, so if there’s something you really don’t know, you can leave it blank.

• You can wear campaign T-shirts or hats to a polling station. However, you cannot actively campaign.

• If your vote is contested for any reason and the contest is accepted, request a provisional ballot. This just means your ballot will undergo additional scrutiny by the county board of elections and you may have to submit additional documents. But your vote will count.

• If you are still in line at the polling place at 7 p.m. on Election Day, STAY IN LINE. As long as you are in line, you must be allowed to vote.

We’ve debunked 35 myths and misinformation about the Florida election HERE.