Voter registration deadline for Florida primary election is here
TAMPA, Fla. - For Floridians who want to vote in the primaries next month – and they're not registered, or they want to change their party affiliation – Monday is the last day to do so.
The primary election is next month, and since Florida is a closed primary state, that means residents can only vote for candidates of the political affiliation they are registered with. The ballot will include partisan primary races for the U.S. Senate, governor, two state cabinet seats, and several congressional and legislative races.
"At the state level, they are all partisan races," said Mark Earley, Leon County Supervisor of Elections. "So, we’ve got some Democratic races and Republican races that will be on the ballot where multiple candidates from the same party are contesting each other. The top vote-getters from each of those will be their nominees going into the general election for those partisan elections."
Midterm elections in Florida: Key dates and changes to voting in 2022
If you're not registered with a political party, you can still vote in some races. There are several non-partisan city, county, and judicial races across the state. They're open to all voters, regardless of political affiliation.
To sign up to vote, or to update your existing registration, head to registertovoteflorida.gov.
In-person early voting will run from Aug. 13 to Aug. 20 in most counties. The Florida primaries are on Aug. 23, 11 weeks before the general election on Nov. 8.
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Who's on the ballot in Florida
The 2022 Midterm Elections include federal, state, and local/municipal races.
Every Florida voter will see candidates for U.S. House (all districts), U.S. Senate (one of two seats), governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, chief financial officer, agriculture commissioner, FL House (all districts) and FL Senate (all districts).
In 2020, there were nine political parties with which voters and candidates could register, or they could choose ‘no party affiliation.’ The majority of Florida voters register with one of the two major parties – Democrat or Republican – or with no party affiliation.
U.S. House
All 28 of Florida's U.S. Congressional Districts have positions on the ballot for the Primary and General Elections in 2022.
Due to redistricting, voters may see familiar names or a new slate of potential candidates on this year's ballot.
View an interactive map of Congressional Districts in Florida by clicking here.
View a full list of Florida's candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives by clicking here.
New redistricting maps impact Florida candidates
Two Democratic candidates for Congress in Pinellas County have stopped their campaigns and dropped out because of Florida's new redistricting map. Voting groups have sued and a state judge ruled it unconstitutional and blocked it. Now, the governor is appealing the decision and the judge's ruling is on hold.
U.S. Senate
One of Florida's two United States Senate seats are up for election in 2022.
The incumbent, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, was elected to the seat in 2011. He does not face a challenger in the Primary.
Democrats will have several candidates to choose from. Ricardo De La Fuente, Val Demings, Brian Rush and William Sanchez will be on the Primary ballot.
One candidate with the Libertarian Party of Florida will be on the ballot: Dennis Misigoy. There are also four write-in candidates: Uloma Uma Ekpete, Edward A. Gray, Howard Knepper, and Moses Quiles – and two candidates with no party affiliation: Steven B. Grant and Tuan TQ Nguyen.
Attorney General
Republican incumbent Ashley Moody is running unopposed in the Primary for Florida Attorney General.
Democrats Aramis Ayala, Jim Lewis and Daniel Uhlfelder are running to be Moody's opponent.
Chief Financial Officer
Republican Incumbent Jimmy Patronis and Democrat Adam Hattersley are both running unopposed in their Primaries and will appear on the General Election ballot.
Commissioner of Agriculture
With current agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried throwing her hat in the ring to be the Democratic candidate for Florida governor, voters for both major parties will have options on the Primary and General Election ballots.
Democrats Naomi Esther Blemur, J.R. Gaillot and Ryan Morales, and Republicans James W. Shaw and Wilton Simpson will appear on the Primary ballot.
Governor
Incumbent Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, is running unopposed in the Primary Election.
Democrats Charlie Crist, Candace Daniel, Nicole "Nikki" Fried (current agriculture commissioner) and Robert L. Willis will be on the Primary Election ballot.
Three candidates with no party affiliation – Carmen Jackie Gimenez, Jodi Gregory Jeloudov and Hector Ross – will be on the Primary Election ballot, as well as two write-in candidates – Kyle KC Gibson and James Thompson.
All Florida voters will also see retention elections for appointed judges and State Supreme Court justices whose terms expire in January 2023, and therefore have to retain their seats through the election process.
State Supreme Court
State Supreme Court justices, which are listed as nonpartisan, are appointed by governors. Every six years, they go on ballots for voters to decide if they will retain their seat. In 2022, five justices are up for retention:
- Charles Canaday, who was appointed by Charlie Crist, who was Republican at the time, in 2008
- Ricky Polston, who was appointed by Charlie Crist (then Republican) in 2008
- Jorge Labarga, who was appointed by Charlie Crist (then Republican), in 2009
- John D. Couriel, who was appointed by Ron DeSantis (R) in 2020
- Jamie Rutland Grosshans, who was appointed by Ron DeSantis (R) in 2019