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We did things a bit differently for this Primary Election Guide than we have in the past. This year, to produce the guide, we partnered with six other news organizations from the News Collaborative of Central Florida: Oviedo Community News, Orlando Sentinel, Osceola Gazette, WKMG News 6, Winter Park Voice and Central Florida Public Media.
As always, VoxPopuli focused on the races with the most impact to the West Orange County area, and these include the county wide elections for mayor, school board chair and Ninth Circuit and county judges along with the District 2 County Commission election. We've also included the Republican and Democratic primaries for House District 39 and Congressional District 11. The winners from those races will go on to the Nov. 3 general election where they will also face NPA and Libertarian candidates.
Our News Collaborative partners covered the statewide elections as well as races in other districts, and you can find all of that coverage here.
Our process this time was different too. Candidates received a questionnaire from the News Collaborative. Then VoxPopuli reporters followed up with all of the candidates who agreed to interviews — and most did — to drill deeper on the issues they will be facing if elected. Kathryn Brudzinski, Roger Jimenez, Connor Barry, Samuel Stiles Williams and Norine Dworkin put together the Voting Guide. Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff assisted with research.
Voting by mail makes casting a ballot in the Aug. 18 Primary Election and county-wide nonpartisan elections very convenient. But first, you need to REQUEST YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT by 5 p.m., AUG. 6. The Supervisor of Election reports that as of July, 92,470 mail-in ballots had been requested for the Primary Election.
Since all vote-by-mail requests expire after each federal election cycle, so you will need to request another one, if you have not voted since the 2024 elections. (If you voted by mail in any of last year's special elections or this year's municipal elections, your mail ballot request may still be on file, especially if you checked "all elections" when you made your request.) The Supervisor of Elections has several ways to request your ballot: Call the office at 407-836-VOTE (8683). Visit the site or download and complete the Vote-By Mail Written Request Form (here, in Spanish). Then, either email the form to vbmrequest@ocfelections.gov; send it back by fax (407-254-6577); mail it to P.O. Box 562001, Orlando, FL 32856-2001; or drop it off at the Supervisor of Elections office at 119 Kaley Street, Orlando. You can also drop the form off at the new satellite office at the West Oaks Mall at 9401 W. Colonial Drive in Ocoee.
Mail ballots will be sent out, first to overseas and military voters on July 2 and then to local voters, starting on July 10.
You can also pick up a mail-in ballot at the Supervisor of Elections office or the new satellie office at the West Oaks Mall, or designate someone to pick it up for you, using a designee pick-up forms and affidavit.
If you have a protected address or a disability that prevents you from using a regular ballot or you need a replacement mail-in ballot, contact the Supervisor of Elections office.
Once you complete your mail-in ballot, it must be returned either to the main Supervisor of Elections Office or the West Oaks Mall satellite office by 7 p.m. on Aug. 18 for it to be counted. While the U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld that late-arriving ballots post-marked by Election Day could be counted up to five days later in Mississippi and 18 other states, there is no grace period in Florida. To ensure your ballot is counted, make sure you mail it "early enough in time for delivery," the Supervisor of Elections advises. Or drop it off at any early voting location or at the Supervisor of Elections offices before 7 p.m. on Election Day. (You can also exchange a mail ballot for an in-person ballot at any early-voting location.) On Aug. 18, only the Supervisor of Elections offices will accept mail ballots. You can designate someone to drop your mail-in ballot off for you. To avoid the appearance of “ballot harvesting,” designees are limited to two ballots with just one for a non-family member. Please remember to sign the outer envelop.
Finally, sign up for BallotTrax to receive email or text updates about the status of your ballot from printing to mail-out to acceptance.
Signatures can change because of age, injury, arthritis. It’s easy to update your signature with a new voter registration application. Mismatched signatures are one of the main reasons that mail-in ballots don't get counted. Update yours here to ensure your vote counts. Mail-in ballots with missing signatures on the outside envelop also won’t don’t get counted. Fortunately, voters have two days after the election to “cure” their ballots with this affidavit. form in both English and Spanish.
The Orange County Supervisor of Elections has 28 early voting locations for the Aug. 18 Primary — including seven new polling places added this year. Early voting will take place daily, Aug. 3 to 16 , 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the locations below.
Remember, you'll need to bring a valid ID with your photo and signature. Accepted forms include: valid Florida driver’s license, U.S. passport, debit/credit card, student or military ID, public assistance ID, Florida firearms license. (If your ID only has a photo, bring a second one with an updated signature.) If you have a mail ballot, but want to vote in person, you can exchange your mail ballot at any early-voting location. Early voting locations will also have Spanish translators and ADA-compliant voting equipment for those who need it. For more information, visit the Orange County Supervisor of Elections website.
Last day to register to vote before the primary and county-wide elections: July 20.
Public testing of tabulating machines: July 23, 9 a.m. to Noon at Supervisor of Elections office.
Early voting: Aug. 3 to Aug. 16, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (See above for locations).
Last day to request a mail-in ballot: Aug. 6 (Mail ballots can still be picked up at the Supervisor of Elections office through Election Day).
Election Day: Aug. 18
Returning citizens who have completed their sentences and paid all fines and fees or completed community service in lieu of payment can get their voting rights restored (except for those convicted of murder or felony sex offenses).
That said, voting eligibility can still be challenging to figure out as those who believed they were eligible to vote in the 2020 election only to be arrested by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s election police discovered. The Formerly Incarcerated Convicted People & Families Movement’s “Can I Vote?” tool may help returning citizens determine if they can vote in the Aug. 18 elections.
