2024 Primary Election Guide
We have expanded our voting guide beyond local legislator races to include elections for school board, county commission, state attorney, supervisor of elections, public defender and Ninth Judicial Circuit and Orange County Court judges.
Profiles and endorsements will be coming soon.
Vote by Mail
Voting by mail makes casting a ballot in the Aug. 20 primary super easy and convenient. You can take your time. You can have a snack. You can keep our 2024 Primary Voting Guide next to you so you can read up on the candidates. You can even vote in your PJs with your dog at your feet.
But first, you need to REQUEST YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT by 5 P.M. AUG. 8.
All vote-by-mail requests now expire after each federal election cycle, and so if you had a vote-by-mail ballot for the 2022 elections, you will need to request another one. (If you already requested a mail-in ballot for the March municipal elections, you're all set; you will receive a mail-in ballot for both the primary election and the November general election.)
To request your ballot, call the Orange County Supervisor of Elections (OCSE) office at 407-836-VOTE, visit the OCSE site, or download and complete the new Vote-By Mail Written Request Form (DS-DE 160) and either mail it back or drop it off at the OCSE office.
Once you request your ballot, OCSE will mail your ballot to you. If you prefer, you can also pick up a mail-in ballot yourself or you can designate someone to pick it up for you. Find designee pick-up forms and affidavits at OCSE.
Once you complete your ballot, return it to OCSE at 119 Kaley Street in Orlando. Your ballot needs to be there by 7 p.m. on Aug. 20 for it to be counted.
Then, sign up for BallotTrax to receive email or text updates about the status of your ballot from printing to mail-out to acceptance.
Update your signature
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 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.
Early Voting
Early voting sites will be open Aug. 5 to 18, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
If you are in line by 6 p.m., YOU CAN VOTE. You’ll need ID with a 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.) Early voting locations will have Spanish translators and ADA-compliant voting equipment for those who need it. For more information about early voting, visit the OCSE website.
You can vote early at these West Orange County sites:
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West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road
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Winter Garden Library at 805 E. Plant Street
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Orange County National Golf Center at 16301 Phil Ritson Way
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Washington Park Library at 5151 Raleigh St., Suite A.
Additional early voting locations:
Renaissance Senior Center | Winter Park Library |
Alafaya Library | Southwest Library |
Apopka Community Center | South Creek Library |
Chickasaw Library | Southeast Library |
Fairview Shores Library | Southwest Library |
Hiawassee Library | Tibet-Butler Preserve |
Lift Orlando | Town of Eatonville Town Hall |
Marks Street Senior Recreation Complex | UCF Live Oak Event Center |
Orange County Supervisor of Elections | Valencia - Lake Nona Campus |
Drop off your ballot
Completed mail-in ballots can be dropped off at any early voting location or at the OCSE 119 W. Kaley Street in Orlando by 7 p.m. on Aug. 20. On Election Day, mail ballots can only be dropped off at the OCSE office. Mail-in ballots can also be traded for a regular ballot at your assigned polling location on Election Day. 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.
Restore your voting rights
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 2024 elections.