Voters: Prepare for Florida Primary Elections

The Primary Election is fast approaching and while Florida is a Closed Primary State, the District Four County Commissioner seat will be decided in the primary. That’s because the contest is a Universal Primary.

A Closed Primary State means that only voters who are registered members of a political party may vote for their respective party’s candidates in the primary. So, if you are a registered Republican, you are only able to vote for Republican candidates in partisan contests in the primary. If a voter does not have a party affiliation, they are not eligible to vote for party candidates. Voters belonging to a minor party can only vote for party candidates if those candidates are on the ballot (Florida Statute 101.021).

A Universal Primary is when all candidates in a primary have the same party affiliation but will not see opposition during the General Election. During a Universal Primary, all registered voters may vote for that specific race, regardless of their party affiliation. All four candidates for the County Commissioner seat in District Four are registered as Republicans, so “all qualified electors,” regardless of registered party affiliation, may vote in the race. And because there is no “opposition from another party,” the winner of the primary will be the winner of the race. Opposition from another party is needed for that primary winner to move on to the General Election in November.

Collier County Commissioner District Two is also on the ballot, however to date, both major political parties have a candidate so it will be a Closed Primary. 

One thing to note - candidate qualifying doesn’t end until noon on June 17th and so the candidates in all races are subject to change.

Winners in the primary races are won by the top vote getter. In nonpartisan races such as judicial and school board seats, winning candidates must receive 50% of the votes plus one in order to win the contest. The top vote getter who receives below that threshold will face off with the second top vote getter in a run-off during the General Election.

The Board of Commissioners approved redistricting maps in 2021 and so new voter registration cards were mailed May 25th. You can check your voter registration status by going to the Collier County Supervisor of Elections website at www.colliervotes.gov.

These are the deadlines for Primary Voting:

Voter Registration Deadline/Book Closing: July 25, 2022

Vote-By-Mail Ballot Mailings: July 9 (UOCAVA: Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act)/July 14-August 15

Change Party Affiliation for Primary: 29 days prior to Primary Election Day

Ballot Request Deadline: 5:00 PM on August 13, 2022.

Early Voting: August 13 through August 20, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Election Day: August 23, 2022.