What is the Primary Election?
The Primary Election is how we select candidates who will advance to the November General Election.
In the Primary Election, some contests are affected by political party and other contests are not.
- In a party contest, voters registered Democratic or Republican vote for the candidate they want to represent their party in the General Election. The winning candidates from each party advance to the General Election.
- In other contests, all voters vote for the same set of candidates. The two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the General Election. Or, if a single candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the Primary Election, they are the winner of the General Election as well.
Who Is on my Primary Election Ballot?
Offices Up for Election
These offices are up for election in 2022:
- Federal:
- United States Senate (party contest)
- United States Representative (party contest)
- Statewide:
- Governor and Lieutenant Governor (party contest)
- Attorney General (party contest)
- Chief Financial Officer (party contest)
- Commissioner of Agriculture (party contest)
- Multi-county:
- State Senator (party contest)
- State Representative (party contest)
- County:
- County Commissioner
- School Board
- County Judges
- City Commissioner
You can find further information about local candidates by visiting the candidate list on our website.
Your Ballot
Not all the offices listed above will appear on your ballot, as the contests you can vote on depend on where you live and your political party.
View Your Sample Ballot
Use the Voter Information Lookup to view your sample ballot and see exactly what candidates and contests will be on your ballot.
Where You Live Affects Your Ballot
Some contests in the Primary Election change depend on which districts you live in.
- Many contests, such as state representative, are divided into districts. We use your address where you live to assign you to a district. You get to vote in the contests for your district if that district is up for election that year.
- Other contests, such as governor, are state-wide. All voters can vote in these contests.
Your districts are listed on your voter information card. Or you can use the Voter Information Lookup.
Your Party Affects Your Ballot
Many choices that appear on your Primary Election ballot depend on your political party. You may only vote in a party contest in if you are a member of that party.
However, there are usually other contests on the Primary Election ballot as well. Every voter can vote in these contests.
In addition, if all candidates for an office have the same party and the winner of the primary will be elected to office, then every voter can vote in that contests. This is known as an “universal primary.”
This is how your party will affect your Primary Election ballot:
- If you are registered Democratic, your ballot will list democratic candidates in party contests, all candidates in other contests, and all candidates in universal primaries.
- If you are registered Republican, your ballot will list republican candidates in party contests, all candidates in other contests, and all candidates in universal primaries.
- If you are registered with a minor party or no party, your ballot will not have any party contests, but you will have all candidates in other contests and all candidates in universal primaries.
Why Should I Vote in the Primary Election?
Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens. The Primary Election is how we select candidates who will advance to the November General Election. Some contests may be decided completely during the Primary Election. When you vote in the Primary Election you get to take part in deciding who will lead our nation, state, county, and city.
When Is the Primary Election?
The Primary Election is held in each even-numbered year. Florida’s next Primary Election is on August 23, 2022.
How Do I Register to Vote for the Primary Election?
Registering to vote is easy! Visit our Voter Registration page to get started.
If you are already registered but you need to make a change, visit our Update Voter Registration page.
Voter Registration Deadline
The voter registration and party change deadline for the 2022 Primary Election is July 25, 2022. You must register to vote by this day in order to cast a ballot in the Primary Election.
If want to change your political party, you must make the change by this day for the change to be in effect for the Primary Election.
Where Can I Learn About Voting in the Primary Election?
You can vote in the Primary Election using any of these methods. Click on the links to learn more about each way you can cast your ballot.