Marion County voter information for the Aug. 23 primary: Here's what you need to know

Staff report
·5 min read

Primary races on the Aug. 23 ballot are hitting the final stretch as a number of deadlines loom for voters, including today's deadline for registration.

With election season ramping up, here's what you need to know to help you with the voting process:

Voter registration deadline is today

If you are not yet registered to vote, you can still do so today in order to be able to cast a ballot for the primary. You can register to vote online or update your existing registration through the Florida Department of State’s voter registration system at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov.

You can also use that website to check to see if you already registered, change your party affiliation, or update your address.

You may also register to vote at in person by going to:

  • Marion County Elections Center, 981 NE 16th St., Ocala

  • A Florida driver license office

  • A tax collector's office that issues driver's licenses or Florida identification cards

  • A voter registration agency (such as any office that provides public assistance or state funded programs for persons with disabilities, any armed recruitment station).

To be eligible to vote, you must be:

  • At least 18 years of age

  • A citizen of the United States of America, and

  • A legal resident of Florida and of the county where you intend to vote.

You cannot register or vote if:

  • A judge has determined you are mentally incapacitated with respect to voting unless that right has been restored,

  • A convicted felon, unless your right to vote has been restored through clemency or by completion of all terms of the sentence, as is applicable.

What's on the ballot

Which races you see on your ballot will depend on the address associated with your voter registration.

The races for local offices in Marion County include:

Not affiliated with a political party?

Florida has a closed primary election, which means in most cases you can only vote for candidates seeking nomination by the party you’re registered with, and in nonpartisan races such as for judges and school board members.

So if you are an independent voter, you won't be able to vote in some primary races but you will be able to vote in all races in the Nov. 8 general election.

If only one party fields candidates in a partisan race, such as for state legislative seats, then it becomes open to all voters regardless of party. But that only applies if there are no write-in or third-party candidates on the ballot. That's rare.

How to vote by mail

You don't need an excuse to vote by mail, but you do need to request a ballot unless you requested a mail ballot in 2020 and didn't specify if was only for that election cycle.

You can make that request in person, by mail, by phone, by email or online through the Supervisor of Elections website.

To receive a ballot at an address other than the address on file, you must submit a signed written request.

The last day to request that a ballot be mailed to you is Aug. 13 — 10 days before the primary election — but you can still receive a mail ballot in person up until Election Day.

Mail ballots must be received by elections offices by 7 p.m. on Aug. 23, the day of the election.

If you plan on mailing your ballot, it’s safest to send it in not later Aug. 16, a week before election day. You may also it off at the Marion County Elections Center during business hours, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or at any early voting site during early voting hours.

You can track your vote-by-mail ballot and receive status notifications by email, text or recorded call to your phone. Sign up at MarionBallotTrax.com.

How to take advantage of early voting

Can vote in person before Election Day by using early voting on the same equipment that will be used on Election Day.

Early voting varies by county, but for Marion County it will be Aug. 13-20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Marion County Elections Center, 981 NE 16th St., Ocala

  • Belleview Public Library, 13145 SE Highway 484, Belleview

  • Deputy Brian Litz Building, 9048 SW Highway 200, Ocala

  • Dunnellon Public Library, 20351 Robinson Road, Dunnellon

  • Forest Public Library, 905 South Highway 314A, Ocklawaha

  • Freedom Public Library, 5870 SW 95th St., Ocala

  • Mulberry Center, 8445 SE 165th Mulberry Lane, The Villages

  • Reddick Community Center, 4345 NW 152nd St., Reddick

  • Silver Springs Shores Community Center, 590 Silver Road, Ocala

Voter identification requirements

To vote in person, either early or on Election Day, you must show a photo and signature identification before you can vote.

Any one of the following photos IDs will be accepted:

  • Florida driver license

  • Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway, Safety and Motor Vehicles

  • United States passport

  • Military identification

  • Student identification

  • Retirement center identification

  • Neighborhood association identification

  • Public assistance identification

  • Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs

  • License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm

  • Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of federal, state, county or municipal government the state, a county or municipal government.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion County voter information for the Aug. 23 primary