STATEWIDE — Florida is a closed primary, which means people can only vote for candidates in the party they are registered with.
What You Need To Know
- Some registered for one party in a primary and switch back for the general election
- Some supervisors of elections offices are extending hours Monday to accommodate those last-minute registrations and party affiliation changes
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But that doesn't mean people can't change how they are registered for the primary and then change it again for the general election.
"We'll see people come in that might be no party affiliation and they will change to a party affiliation just for the primary, and then they'll change back to no party affiliation. It's people's personal preference what they want to do,” explained Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer.
Latimer explained the moving and shaking his office is seeing, leading into the voter registration deadline on July 23.
The state’s biggest primary race is on the Democratic side of the gubernatorial ticket: Charlie Crist against Nikki Fried.
University of South Florida political science professor J. Edwin Benton says tracking voter registration doesn't tell you much about a race until you get to the general election. And right now, he says that's what both Democratic candidates should be thinking about.
"They are going to have to modify their positions, and steer away from Joe Biden and chart their own path and make it Florida specific,” he advises. “… You can't do anything about the economy and you don't want to badmouth the president, but you don't pat him on the back. And you don't emphasize the fact that you are a Democrat, and certainly not a Joe Biden Democrat."
Some supervisors of elections offices are extending hours Monday to accommodate those last-minute registrations and party affiliation changes.
For more information, check with the supervisor of elections in the county where you live.