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Be A More

Informed Voter

in the August

Primaries

by By Sandy Parker,
Publisher Sparker's Soapbox
nowing who you elect and how local elections work In Partisan Races, Party Affiliation Matters
is the first step in being an informed voter. Collier Since Florida is a closed primary state, you must decide
K County’s primary elections will be held on August which party’s primary you want to vote in and be registered
18, and vote-by-mail ballots will be sent out beginning July 7. with it by July 20. Your party registration will apply to all
To vote by mail, you must request a ballot by August 6; Florida partisan races on the ballot; you cannot pick and choose. In
law requires a new request each election year. While the slate some cases, if all candidates are from the same party, all voters
of candidates for each office will not be final until June 12, the may be able to vote in that race.
end of the candidate qualifying period, we do know which For Republican and Democratic Voters
offices will be on the ballot and how our elections work, so it’s These partisan offices will be on the August primary
not too soon to start thinking about how to vote. ballot if more than one candidate qualifies: U.S. Senator,
First: Know Your Voting Districts Representative in Congress (Districts 18, 19, 26), Governor,
The offices that will be on your ballot depend on the voting Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner
districts you live in, so first, learn them. Visit the Collier of Agriculture, State Attorney (Circuit 20), Public Defender
County Supervisor of Elections website, colliervotes.gov, click (Circuit 20), State Senator (District 28), State Representative
“Check My Voter Info,” and enter your residence address. (Districts 80, 81, 82), and County Commissioner (Districts 2,
What’s on the August Primary Ballot 4).
The August primary ballot includes two types of contests: For All Voters
Partisan Races — in which party-registered voters nominate All voters, regardless of party affiliation, will see these
their party’s candidate for the November general election. nonpartisan offices on the August ballot if more than one
These are closed primaries in which only Democrats may vote candidate qualifies: School Board Member (Districts 1, 3, 5),
in Democratic contests and only Republicans in Republican Circuit Judge (Circuit 20; several positions), and County Judge
contests. The candidate with the most votes wins the party's (three positions).
nomination and advances to the November general election. Make Your Vote Count
Nonpartisan Races — where all registered voters, regardless Voting is both a right and a privilege. By casting your ballot
of party affiliation, may vote. If any candidate receives more as an informed voter, you strengthen our democracy and help
than 50% of the vote in August, they are elected outright shape the future of Collier County. Get started now and be an
and will not appear on the November ballot. If no candidate informed voter this August.
reaches that threshold, the top two vote-getters will face off in Sandy Parker is the founder and publisher of Sparker’s Soapbox,
November. a nonpartisan civic information resource for Collier County voters.
In addition, some voters may see referendum questions on Learn more at sparkers-soapbox.com.
their ballot. For example, voters in the Greater Naples Fire
Rescue District will see one. Other referendum questions may
also be added.

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