Over 776K vote-by-mail ballots cast in Florida primary election as in-person early voting gets underway

As of Saturday morning, 300,518 had come from registered Republicans; 347,846 from registered Democrats

FILE - In this March 17, 2020 file photo, voters head to a polling station to vote in Florida's primary election in Orlando, Fla. Florida felons must pay all fines, restitution and legal fees before they can regain their right to vote, a federal appellate court ruled Friday, Sept, 11. Reversing a lower court judge's decision that gave Florida felons the right to vote regardless of outstanding legal obligations, the order from the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals was a disappointment to voting rights activists and could have national implications in Novembers presidential election. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) (John Raoux, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

ORLANDO, Fla. – As in-person early voting gets underway in several Florida counties on Monday, almost a quarter of all mail-in ballots have already been returned in the Aug. 23 primary elections.

According to data posted on the state Division of Elections website, 776,335 vote-by-mail ballots have been cast as of Saturday morning. Of those, 300,518 came from registered Republicans and 347,846 from registered Democrats.

Recommended Videos



[TRENDING: Florida gas prices continue to fall, reaching lowest price since March | In this Florida city, when drivers go the wrong way, most don’t crash. Here’s why | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]

Another 118,403 had been returned by people registered with third parties. Nearly 3.3 million additional vote-by-mail ballots have been distributed but not returned.

In Central Florida, in-person early voting starts Monday in Orange and Osceola counties. Early voting locations will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., including weekends, though Aug. 21.

Lake County will begin early voting on Thursday, Aug. 11. All other Central Florida counties will begin on Saturday, Aug. 13.

To vote, you must bring an ID with your picture and signature.

[RELATED: VOTER GUIDE: What you need to know for the 2022 Florida Primary ]

Florida is a closed-primary state, meaning voters who are registered members of a political party can only for their respective party’s candidates in the August primary.

However, some local races are non-partisan or include candidates who are running unopposed. In those cases all registered voters, regardless of political affiliation, can vote for those candidates.

Find important Florida voting dates here.

You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:


About the Author

Katrina Scales is a producer for the News 6+ Takeover at 3:30 p.m. She also writes and voices the podcast Your Florida Daily. Katrina was born and raised in Brevard County and started her journalism career in radio before joining News 6 in June 2021.

Recommended Videos