November's presidential election isn't the only game in town.
It starts a lot earlier than that.
Many cities will host municipal elections in March — including Clearwater, which is electing a mayor.
And Florida's presidential primary will be held March 19 — for registered Republicans only. That's because the national Democratic Party essentially cancelled the Florida primary by putting only President Joe Biden's name on the ballot.
Republicans, however, will see more choices on the ballot than actual candidates who are still in the race. That's because even though most presidential candidates have suspended or withdrawn their campaigns, none of the them filed with the state to “officially withdraw” by the deadline. So all the names will appear on the ballot. A vote cast for any of those candidates will still be counted and included in the official results.
Here's the list of Republicans:
- Ryan L. Binkley
- Chris Christie
- Ron DeSantis
- Nikki R. Haley
- Asa Hutchinson
- Vivek Ramaswamy
- Donald J. Trump
The deadline to register to vote for the primary is Feb. 20.
Because of a new state law, even if you previously requested to vote by mail, you have to contact your county supervisor of elections office to request a new mail-in ballot.
Here's voting information for the greater Tampa Bay area:
In Hillsborough County, for those planning to vote by mail, ballots will be sent to domestic voters on Feb. 15.
- To request a mail ballot, click https://www.votehillsborough.gov/VOTERS/Vote-By-Mail
- Mailed ballots must be received by the supervisor of elections office no later than 7 p.m. Election Day to be counted.
- Early voting will be held March 4-17. Click here for a list of early voting sites.
- For voters in Plant City, municipal elections will be held April 2. The deadline to register is March 4.
In Pinellas County, early voting for the presidential primary and municipal elections will be held March 9-17.
Here's a list of early voting locations:
- Supervisor of Elections Office - Election Service Center - 13001 Starkey Rd., Starkey Lakes Corporate Center, Largo.
- Supervisor of Elections Office - County Building - 501 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
- Supervisor of Elections Office - Pinellas County Courthouse - 315 Court St., Room 117, Clearwater.
The deadline to request a ballot to be mailed is March 7 at 5 p.m. To request a mail ballot, click here or call (727) 464-VOTE (8683).
Municipal elections will be held in 11 cities on March 19:
- City of Belleair Beach: 4 Charter Amendments
- City of Clearwater: Mayor; Councilmember Seat 2; Councilmember Seat 3; 1 Charter Amendment
- City of Gulfport: Councilmember Ward 1
- City of Indian Rocks Beach: Commissioner
- Town of Indian Shores: Mayor
- Town of Kenneth City: Mayor
- City of Madeira Beach: 1 Charter Amendment
- City of Oldsmar: Council Member Seat 1; Council Member Seat 3
- City of Pinellas Park: City Council Seat 3; City Council Seat 4; 1 Referendum Question
- City of Safety Harbor: Commissioner Seat 1; Commissioner Seat 2; 8 Charter Amendments
- City of Treasure Island: City Commissioner District 4.
These cities have cancelled their elections because there were not enough qualified candidates:
- Belleair
- Belleair Bluffs
- Belleair Shore
- North Redington Beach
- Redington Beach
- Redington Shores
- St. Pete Beach
Here's the voting information for Polk County:
- Municipalities having an election on April 2 are Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake. Frostproof, Haines City, Lake Wales and Polk City.
- The last day to request a vote by mail ballot for this election is March 21st. You can request a mail-in ballot here.
Early walk-in voting is available Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 18-28 (excluding Saturday and Sunday) at the following locations:
- Election Headquarters: 250 S. Broadway Ave, Bartow
- Election Operations Center: 70 Florida Citrus Blvd, Winter Haven
In Pasco County, municipal elections will be held April 9. Elections will be held in: Dade City, New Port Richey, Port Richey, Saint Leo, San Antonio and Zephyrhills.
- Early voting will be held March 9-16. For a list of early voting sites, click here.
- You can request vote by mail ballot here.
In Hernando County, early voting for the Presidential Preference Primary Election will be March 9-16.
- Click here for early voting sites.
- To request a vote by mail ballot, click here.
- The last day to register to vote or change political parties is Feb. 20.
Here's the voting information for Manatee County:
- Voter Registration Deadline: Feb. 20.
- Deadline to request a vote by mail ballot to be mailed: Thursday, March 7 at 5 p.m.
- Early Voting: March 9-16. To find early voting sites, click here.
- Deadline to return vote by mail ballot: March 19.
- The Town of Longboat Key will also have two city commissioners on the ballot on March 19.
Here's the voting information for Sarasota County:
- Voter registration deadline: Feb. 20
- Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed: Thursday, March 7, at 5 p.m.
- Early Voting: March 9-17. Here's a list of early voting sites.
- The Town of Longboat Key will also have elections on March 19.
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