ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida counties have started to release sample ballots for the upcoming primary election on Aug. 23.
The primary election is held to nominate party candidates to be voted for in the general election on Nov. 8. These candidates will fill national, state, county and district offices.
The offices that will be voted on to nominate candidates are:
- State executive offices (governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner)
- United States senators
- United States representatives
- State legislators
- Local offices (varies by municipality)
It's important to note that Florida is a closed primary state where you must be a registered member of a political party to vote for respective candidates in the August election. The party you're registered under, as well as your voting precinct, determines what your ballot will look like. You can vote if the races are nonpartisan.
The deadline to register for the primary election is July 25, and eligible individuals can register or update their registration here anytime before that.
As the primary election approaches, you may be wondering about the candidates you'll see on your ballot — who are they, and what do they stand for?
While some counties provide a general ballot for voters to look at, others have a link where you input your voter information to view your specific ballot.
10 Tampa Bay breaks down county-by-county sample ballots. Listed below are some of the congressional candidates for national offices that you'll see on your ballot. Click on each candidate's name to visit their campaign site and learn about their background and campaign goals.
Pinellas County
United States Senator
- Val Demings (DEM)
- Ricardo De La Fuente (DEM)
- Brian Rush (DEM)
- William Sanchez (DEM)
Governor and Lt. Governor
- Charlie Crist (DEM)
- Cadance Daniel (DEM)
- Nicole "Nikki" Fried (DEM)
- Robert L. Willis (DEM)
Representative in Congress, District 13
- Kevin Hayslett (REP)
- Moneer Kheireddine (REP)
- Anna Paulina Luna (REP)
- Amanda Makki (REP)
- Christine Y. Quinn (REP)
Representative in Congress, District 14
- James Judge (REP)
- Samar "Sam" Nashagh (REP)
- Jerry Torres (REP)
- Christopher Bradley (DEM)
- Kathy Castor (DEM)
Click here to fill in your voter information and receive your precinct-specific sample ballot.
Hillsborough County
United States Senator
- Val Demings (DEM)
- Ricardo De La Fuente (DEM)
- Brian Rush (DEM)
- William Sanchez (DEM)
Governor and Lt. Governor
- Charlie Crist (DEM)
- Cadance Daniel (DEM)
- Nicole "Nikki" Fried (DEM)
- Robert L. Willis (DEM)
Representative in Congress, District 14
- James Judge (REP)
- Samar "Sam" Nashagh (REP)
- Jerry Torres (REP)
- Christopher Bradley (DEM)
- Kathy Castor (DEM)
Representative in Congress, District 15
- Demetries "Commander" Grimes (REP)
- Laurel Lee (REP)
- Kevin "Mac" McGovern (REP)
- Gavin Brown (DEM)
- Alan M. Cohn (DEM)
- Eddie Geller (DEM)
- Cesar Ramirez (DEM)
- William Vanhorn (DEM)
Representative in Congress District 16
- Vern Buchanan (REP)
- Martin Hyde (REP)
Click here to fill in your voter information and receive your precinct-specific sample ballot.
Pasco County
United States Senator
- Val Demings (DEM)
- Ricardo De La Fuente (DEM)
- Brian Rush (DEM)
- William Sanchez (DEM)
Governor and Lt. Governor
- Charlie Crist (DEM)
- Cadance Daniel (DEM)
- Nicole "Nikki" Fried (DEM)
- Robert L. Willis (DEM)
Representative in Congress, District 12
- Gus Michael Bilirakis (REP)
- Chris Leiser (REP)
- Jack Martin (REP)
- Brian Perras (REP)
- Sid Preskitt (REP)
Representative in Congress, District 15
- Demetries "Commander" Grimes (REP)
- Laurel Lee (REP)
- Kevin "Mac" McGovern (REP)
- Gavin Brown (DEM)
- Alan M. Cohn (DEM)
- Eddie Geller (DEM)
- Cesar Ramirez (DEM)
- William Vanhorn (DEM)
Click here to fill in your voter information and receive your precinct-specific sample ballot.
Citrus County
United States Senator
- Val Demings (DEM)
- Ricardo De La Fuente (DEM)
- Brian Rush (DEM)
- William Sanchez (DEM)
Governor and Lt. Governor
- Charlie Crist (DEM)
- Cadance Daniel (DEM)
- Nicole "Nikki" Fried (DEM)
- Robert L. Willis (DEM)
Representative in Congress, District 12
- Gus Michael Bilirakis (REP)
- Chris Leiser (REP)
- Jack Martin (REP)
- Brian Perras (REP)
- Sid Preskitt (REP)
Click here to find your precinct.
Hardee County
United States Senator
- Val Demings (DEM)
- Ricardo De La Fuente (DEM)
- Brian Rush (DEM)
- William Sanchez (DEM)
Governor and Lt. Governor
- Charlie Crist (DEM)
- Cadance Daniel (DEM)
- Nicole "Nikki" Fried (DEM)
- Robert L. Willis (DEM)
Representative in Congress District 18
- Scott Franklin (REP)
- Kenneth "Kenny" James Hartpence (REP)
- Jennifer Raybon (REP)
- Wendy June Schmelling (REP)
- Eduardo "Eddie" G. Tarazona (REP)
Click here to view more of the sample ballot.
Hernando County
Visit the Supervisor of Elections' site to fill in your voter information and get your precinct-specific sample ballot.
Highlands County
Visit the Supervisor of Elections' site to fill in your voter information and get your precinct-specific sample ballot.
Manatee County
Visit the Supervisor of Elections' site to fill in your voter information and get your precinct-specific sample ballot.
Sarasota County
Visit the Supervisor of Elections' site to fill in your voter information and get your precinct-specific sample ballot.
Polk County
Visit the Supervisor of Elections' site to fill in your voter information and get your precinct-specific sample ballot.