Today is the last day people can register to participate in the Aug. 20 primary, and it’s not an election voters want to miss.
Primaries typically see lower voter turnout, but the primary is just as important as the general election when it comes to determining the future course of a county. A lot of local offices are in charge of significant areas of concern, such as road work, said Bruce Anderson, the Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay, Jr. endowed chair in American history, government, and civics at Florida Southern College. County commissioners make decisions on development.
“Those are important races, to say nothing of the fact that if you only think about national politics and you’re only thinking about the president you’re ignoring the most important races out there: the House races, because the House determines the budget,” Anderson said.
The primary has an influence on all races, sometimes determining the outcome outright. Here’s a few things to know about this year’s primary.
What does the deadline mean, and how can I sign up?
Florida’s closes its voter registration 29 days before an election, which, for the primary, is today. It’s also the last day to change or update your party affiliation before the primary.
There are a lot of ways to register to vote, but, with only hours left, signing up online or in person are the quickest ways to get into the system.
To sign up online, visit registertovoteflorida.gov/home. You can also go there to check your registration status. To register in person, visit your county’s elections office or other qualified agencies.
Once you’re registered you can vote early, on Election Day on Aug. 20, or by mail. The last day to sign up to get a vote-by-mail ballot delivered to you is Aug. 8. Voters can request ballot in person, by mail, fax, phone, email or visiting their elections office website.
Go to lakevotes.com, sumterelections.org or votemarion.gov to get more information.
Who can vote in August?
Florida is a closed primary state, so voters can only vote for their own party’s nominees. It’s one reason primary turnout tends to be low, even in places like Sumter County, which routinely sees some of the highest turnout rates in Florida.
In 2016, the last primary in a presidential election year before the pandemic, the overall turnout was only 23.9%. Turnout in Sumter was only 33.3%.
“A lot of potential voters are not that interested in politics, and so we do see a big surge in turnout normally in the general election of the presidential race, but primary elections are typically pretty low turnout affairs,” said Aubrey Jewett, political science professor at the University of Central Florida. “And that’s especially true in a closed primary state like Florida where it’s ingrained in people’s heads that unless you’re registered as a Republican or Democrat you can’t participate in the primary.”
However, the thought is not entirely correct. Everyone can vote in nonpartisan races, such as school board and judicial contests, as well as universal primary contests. A universal primary contest occurs when all candidates are from the same party and will face no opposition in November.
What are some of the big races in the primary?
Florida’s Democrats and Republicans will pick which United States Senate candidates will go on the ballot in November.
There’s also two local Republican primaries for the U.S. House local voters can participate in. Candidates in three Republican primaries are also jockeying for their party’s nomination for the State House.
Lake, Marion and Sumter counties all have county commission primaries, some of which could ultimately decide who will win well before November arrives. Lake has one Republican commission primary, Marion has two and Sumter has three.
In Sumter County voters will also pick a new sheriff and school superintendent for the first time since 1996. Sumter’s sheriff race is a closed Republican primary, but everyone can vote in the superintendent race, which is a universal primary contest. For a full list of races in the tri-county area, visit your elections office website.