Sunshine Sentinel

The upcoming Special Primary Election in Florida on January 28 will determine candidates for Congressional Districts 1 and 6. Voters planning to vote by mail must submit a new vote-by-mail ballot request by January 16. This requirement follows the cancellation of all vote-by-mail requests at the end of 2022 due to a law passed in 2021 that changed mail voting rules.

Despite efforts by election officials and organizations like Common Cause, over 1.1 million Floridians who voted by mail in 2022 have not re-requested their ballots for 2024. All vote-by-mail requests will expire again at the end of this year, necessitating new requests for the 2025-2026 election cycle.

Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, stated: “We — and election protection partners across the state — are working to let voters know about the need to re-request their vote-by-mail ballot and help them sign up.” She emphasized the urgency: “This is a very tight turn-around. Many voters do not even realize that they have to submit a new vote-by-mail ballot request for elections in 2025, and voters in Congressional Districts 1 and 6 only have until January 16th to request if they want their ballot mailed to them for the special primary election."

Keith also highlighted challenges faced by overseas Floridians and military voters: “The timeline is especially tight for overseas Floridians and military voters. The turn-around time for these voters to get their ballot, fill it out, and send it back is limited. So, it’s important that overseas and military voters re-request their vote by mail ballot NOW, to ensure their ballot is mailed to them as early as possible.”

Florida voters eligible for this special primary include those in District 1—covering Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and part of Walton County—and District 6—encompassing Flagler, Putnam, and parts of Lake, Marion, St. Johns, and Volusia counties.

For questions or issues regarding voting procedures, individuals can reach out to the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.