HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – At noon today, Florida’s candidate qualifying period closed, which means the deadline to qualify to run for office in 2022 has passed.
“This is an important day because we now know who will be on our Primary Election ballot,” said Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.
The list of all local candidates who qualified with Hillsborough County is found at VoteHillsborough.gov. They include candidates for County Commission, School Board, County Court Judge, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Community Development Districts and Special Taxing Districts.
Candidates for federal, state and multi-county offices qualify with the State and are found on the Florida Division of Elections website.
They include candidates for U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner of Agriculture, State Senator, State Representative, Supreme Court Justice, District Court of Appeal, and Circuit Judge.
The “Qualified” status for candidates is not official until the Notice of Ballot Certification is issued by the Department of State (no later than 7 days after the close of qualifying). Unopposed candidates will not appear on the ballot and shall be declared nominated for office, as per Florida law (FS 101.252).
By early July, voters can look up their sample ballot at VoteHillsborough.gov and see which races will be on their Primary ballot. Primary ballots are based on the districts you live in and party affiliation. Florida has closed primaries, so voters must be registered with a political party to vote in that party’s Primary Election.
All voters, whether affiliated with a party or not, will vote on nonpartisan issues and races (including school board and judges) and Universal Primary Contests, which occur when all candidates in a race have the same party affiliation and the winner would be unopposed in the General Election.
Voters may change their party at any time, but to be valid for the upcoming primary, the change must be made by July 25, which is also the deadline to register to vote for the Primary Election.
“I want to remind voters that some school board and judges races could be decided during the Primary Election, and those are nonpartisan races that will be on everyone’s ballot,” said Latimer.
Key Dates:
- Ballots mailed to absent military and overseas voters who have requested Vote By Mail: July 8
- Ballots mailed to domestic voters who have requested Vote By Mail: Beginning July 14
- Deadline to register or change party affiliation: July 25 (postmarked or delivered by close of business, or online)
- Deadline to request Vote By Mail: August 13 at 5 p.m.
- Primary Election Early Voting: August 8 – 21, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Primary Election Day: August 23, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Vote By Mail deadline: In the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. August 23.
Visit Tampafp.com for Politics, Tampa Area Local News, Sports, and National Headlines. Support journalism by clicking here to our GiveSendGo or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here.
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook Here Or Twitter Here.
Copyright 2022 The Free Press, LLC, tampafp.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.