Overview
- Early voting is already open in several counties after some began offering in-person sites on Aug. 3 and all counties must offer early voting by Aug. 8 ahead of the Aug. 18 primary.
- The statewide deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Aug. 6 and standing 2024 mail-request registrations have expired, making the deadline consequential for absentee voters.
- Florida election officials reported more than 566,000 vote-by-mail ballots returned and roughly 9,000 in-person early votes, underlining heavy use of absentee voting this cycle.
- Counties are running different schedules and numbers of early sites so voters may cast ballots at any early location inside their own county and can return completed mail ballots at staffed secure intake or drop stations.
- Voter rules remain in force: Florida’s closed-primary system limits partisan primary ballots to registered party members, photo ID with signature is required for in-person voting, and completed mail ballots must be in officials’ custody by 7 p.m. on election night.