Florida primary: Mail ballot request deadline is Thursday; early voting starts Saturday

Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read
Voters arrive to cast ballots on Tuesday at Frazer United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
Voters arrive to cast ballots on Tuesday at Frazer United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

The fog of Super Tuesday might obscure this fact, but in two weeks, Florida is holding a presidential preference primary election.

Only Republicans can vote, as Democrats − pointing to the 2012 election featuring incumbent President Barack Obama − canceled the primary and declared Joe Biden the winner.

So Volusia and Flagler Republicans will have a choice: former President Donald Trump, his former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Texas pastor Ryan Binkley or any of the other four who halted their campaigns after the ballots were set.

There are three key dates for voters.

Thursday

Voters who wish to vote by mail in the March 19 Florida presidential preference primary need to request a ballot by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Unlike previous presidential elections, a 2021 Florida law now requires voters to request mail-in ballots for each election cycle. So even if you got a mail-in ballot in 2022, you must request one for 2024. A request for a mail ballot for the presidential primary will also count for the primary election on Aug. 20 and the general election on Nov. 5.

Saturday

Early voting starts in both Volusia and Flagler counties.

Early voting in Volusia County will be from Saturday, March 9, through Saturday, March 16, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at these seven locations:

  • Supervisor of Elections Office - 1750 S Woodland Blvd., DeLand

  • The Center at Deltona - 1640 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Deltona

  • Florence K Little Town Hall - 16 Colomba Road, DeBary

  • Ormond Beach Regional Library - 30 S Beach St., Ormond Beach

  • Daytona Beach Regional Library - 105 Jackie Robinson Pkwy., Daytona Beach

  • Lakeside Community Center - 1999 City Center Cir., Port Orange

  • New Smyrna Beach Regional Library - 1001 S Dixie Fwy., New Smyrna Beach

In Flagler County, the times for early voting vary slightly: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ballots can be cast at any of four locations:

  • Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Office, 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell

  • Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Pkwy. N.W., Palm Coast

  • Palm Coast Community Center, 305 Palm Coast Pkwy. N.E., Palm Coast

  • Flagler Beach United Methodist Church, 1520 S. Daytona Ave., Flagler Beach

Voters can either mail their ballots back or drop them off in person at the elections offices during normal business hours. They may also return mail ballots at early voting sites during hours of operation.

Tuesday, March 19

March 19 is the day voting concludes, with voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. All vote-by-mail ballots must be recieved in supervisors' offices by 7 p.m. that day.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Trump or Haley? Early voting for Florida GOP primary starts Saturday