by: Robert S Weinroth
With Election season approaching, and recent changes made by the Florida Legislature, its probably a good idea to review the rules for voting and the dates for making changes to your voter registration.
Election Day
Every two years, a state Primary Election is held 11 weeks before the General Election. The Primary Election is for the purpose of nominating party nominees to be voted for in the General Election to fill a national, state, county, or district office. A General Election is held on the second Tuesday in November of every even-numbered year.
A president is elected every 4 years in a year which is a multiple of four. The next presidential election year is 2024. A Presidential Preference Primary Election is held on the third Tuesday of March. A governor is elected in a separate 4-year election cycle. The next gubernatorial election year is 2022.
Election Dates for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: August 23rd
- General Election: November 8th
Note:
- Special elections may be called at any time during the year.
- Local elections may also be held throughout the year. Check the Local Elections Database which contain dates as reported by the county for elections (county-specific, municipal, special district, or other local election) scheduled within one county. Contact the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections for the most up-to-date information.
Deadline to Register (Book Closing)
Eligible individuals can register to vote at any time. The deadline to register in order to participate in an upcoming election is 29 days before the election. The registration deadlines for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: July 25th
- General Election: October 11th
Vote-by-Mail Ballot ‘Send’ Deadline
State law requires Supervisors of Elections to send, within the following specified timeframes, to voters who already have requests on file:
For absent stateside and overseas uniformed service member and overseas civilian voters (also known as UOCAVA voters), Supervisors of Elections send the ballots no later than 45 days before an election. The send deadlines for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: July 9th
- General Election: September 24th
For domestic voters, Supervisors of Elections send the ballots during a 7-day window which is between 40 and 33 days before an election. The send periods for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: July 14th – 21st
- General Election: September 29th – October 6th
Vote-by-Mail Ballot Request and Return Deadlines
The deadline to request that a Vote-by-Mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5PM on the 10th day before the election. The deadlines for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: August 13th
- General Election: October 29th
A Vote-by-Mail ballot must be returned and received by the Supervisor of Elections in the county of registration no later than 7PM on election day for the respective election in order to be counted.
*A 10-day extension exists only for overseas voters for the Presidential Preference Primary and General Election only.
For more information about voting by mail, visit the Division of Elections’ webpages Vote-by-Mail and Military and Overseas Citizens Voting.
Early Voting Period
By law, early voting must be held at least for 8 days. The mandatory early voting periods for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: August 13th – 20th
- General Election: October 29th – November 5th
Each county Supervisor of Elections may offer more days of early voting from one or more of the following days:
- Primary Election: August 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 21
- General Election: October 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and November 6
The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections will disseminate the additional days of early voting that may be offered in our county. For more information about early voting, visit the Division of Elections’ webpage on Early Voting.
Our right to vote is hard won. It took centuries of struggle to establish this right — for property-less men, for African American men, for women and, in 1971, for all U.S. citizens over the age of 18. The right to vote is fundamental to protecting, asserting and expanding our other rights. Almost all of the social and economic rights Americans enjoy today — including Medicare and Medicaid, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Clean Air Act — exist because citizens elected public officials who voted to enact them.