WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO VOTE IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS

In Florida, final decisions are often made in the primary, yet in the last primary only 31% of Manatee County voters voted and the number has been as low as 28% in recent years. In the last primary, two board of county commission races (District 4 and at-large District 6) were decided by only a small number of county Republicans, due to write-in candidates closing the primary race to voters registered Democrat and No Party Affiliated. When only one party is represented in a primary, the race is open to all voters, but a write-in candidate closes the primary to only voters in the represented party.

This year, the Manatee County primary is the final election for the Supervisor of Elections (SoE) and Property Appraiser. In every election the School Board election is final in the primary; this year there are School Board elections in District 1 and 3. The SoE race is open only to Republican voters due to a write-in candidates submission. All voters can vote in the Property Appraiser election; there are only two Republicans candidates and no write-in candidate so the results are final. The school board race is not party affiliated, so all Manatee County voters in Districts 1 and 3 can cast their vote for preferred school board member, but only in the primary. As you can see, it’s very important to understand who is running and how and when the position will be decided.

There have been changes in voting laws since the last election that may affect you. For example, all previous requests for Vote-By-Mail Ballots were terminated on December 31, 2022; to receive a Vote-By-Mail Ballot in 2024 you must have made a new request in either 2023 or 2024 (see details below). There are almost 80,000 Manatee County voters who requested to Vote-By-Mail in 2020 who have not made their new request. In addition, officials use post office information to update voter rolls and remove inactive voters so it is critical that you check your status before every election.
Make sure your voice is heard, make a voting plan, and vote.

Check your Registration and/or Register to Vote It only takes minutes to register, to update, or to check your registration. Use this easy, online tool provided by the state of Florida.

Manatee County residents can click HERE if you wish to:

• Verify where to vote on primary or general election day
• Check details of upcoming elections
• Request an absentee/mail ballot
• Review/update your voter registration information
• Check the status of your vote-by-mail ballot
• Review your voting activity for the past 12 months
• Check your voter status and/or your vote by mail

• Braden River Library
• GT Bray Park
• Lakewood Ranch Library
• Lakewood Ranch Town Hall
• Palmetto Library
• Parrish Fire Dist Station #2
• Rocky Bluff Library
• Supervisor of Elections Office

Renew or initiate your request for a Vote-By-Mail Ballot

All previous requests for Vote-By-Mail Ballots were terminated on December 31, 2022; to receive a Vote-By-Mail Ballot in 2024 you must have made a new request in either 2023 or 2024. For this year’s primary, your request must be made by August 8th. You can make your new request by: using the Online Vote By Mail Request Form calling the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections on 941-741-3823 and choosing option 3 submitting a request in person at the Supervisor of Elections office or by faxing, mailing or emailing using the download fillable form in English or the download fillable form in Spanish

Vote-By-Mail Ballots must be physically received in the Supervisor of Elections office by 7PM on primary or general election day, so voters must allow for processing time through the postal service. Alternatively, voters can turn in a Vote-By-Mail Ballot at Early Voting locations.

If you register with Ballot Trax, the service will notify you when your mail-in ballot is mailed, is received, and is counted. You can receive the notifications by text, email and/or phone call.

Explore your Day-Of Voting Options

Find out where you can vote in person, what voting machines are used, and what you need to bring with you on Election Day by entering your address here.

Research Candidates

Learn where candidates running for office in your area stand on the issues, and about the ballot measures on your ballot by checking out our voters’ guide. You can hear directly from the candidates before you cast your vote! Vote411 voters guide candidate information will be live in mid-July.

Share your Plans!

Tell your friends and family what you learned in the process of making your voting plan and encourage them to make their own. Then, cast your ballot and let your voice be heard!