July 25 is the deadline to register to vote in the Sarasota-Manatee primary elections

Anne Snabes, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
A sign directing voters to the parking lot for First Presbyterian Church, which is a polling place in the city of Sarasota. Sarasota and Manatee County citizens have until July 25 to register to vote in the August primary election.
A sign directing voters to the parking lot for First Presbyterian Church, which is a polling place in the city of Sarasota. Sarasota and Manatee County citizens have until July 25 to register to vote in the August primary election.

Sarasota and Manatee County residents have until Monday, July 25, to register to vote in the Aug. 23 primary election.

Citizens can register to vote online at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov by 11:59 p.m. on July 25. Or they can complete a paper voter registration application and return it in person at an elections office or postmark it by July 25. 

That is also the last day on which voters can change their party in time for the August election.

Background: Who is running for local, state and federal offices in the Sarasota-Manatee area?

More: Sarasota County citizens can start voting by mail in the Aug. 23 primary election

Voter registration applications are available at all elections offices in the county, public libraries, military recruitment offices, public assistance offices and online.

The applications can also be submitted through any driver license or tax collector’s office that issues Florida driver licenses or ID cards.

“Voters should confirm their voter eligibility and that their registration information is current before the July 25 deadline,” Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner said in a news release. “Voters may go to SarasotaVotes.gov and click on the My Voter Status quick link to check voter information and status.”

Turner also reminds voters that Florida is a closed primary state, which means that only registered Democrat and Republican voters may vote in their party’s primary. Voters who are registered with minor parties or who have no party affiliation may only vote in nonpartisan contests and universal primary contests.

In Sarasota County, the nonpartisan competitions on Aug. 23 include the School Board races and the Sarasota City Commission race. There are several universal primary contests on the August ballot, including four hospital board seats and the state Senate District 22 seat.

Sarasota County voters seeking additional information or assistance may call the elections office at 941-861-8619 or visit SarasotaVotes.gov.

In Manatee County, the nonpartisan elections in August include the School Board races and the City Council or commission races in Bradenton, Holmes Beach and Palmetto. The county also has two universal primary contests: State Senate District 22 and State Senate District 20.

Manatee voters seeking additional information call call their elections office at 941-741-3823 or visit votemanatee.com.

Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Voter registration deadline approaches for Sarasota-Manatee primaries