Collier County’s August elections are just around the corner. Campaign signs are popping up around town, candidate forums are being scheduled, and campaigns are heating up. On July 11, the Supervisor of Elections will begin to send vote-by-mail ballots to voters who requested them, early voting starts on August 10, and election day is August 20.
In this post, I review the political environment in which Collier County’s August elections will take place, outline what will be on the ballot, and close with five things you can and should do now to prepare.
Collier County’s Political Environment and the Importance of Your Party Affiliation
As I explained in my primer post, Collier County’s Political Environment, Republicans dominate voter registration, fund-raising, and voter turnout in Collier County. Every one of our elected representatives in a partisan office is a Republican, except the U.S. President, and they have decisively won every partisan general election in Collier County for the last 40 years.
Therefore, the winners of Collier County’s Republican primaries will likely go on to win their general elections in November.
Your party affiliation is not relevant in nonpartisan primaries, universal primaries, or the general election. In those elections, all voters may vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation.
However, because Florida is a closed primary state, to vote in the Republican primaries, you must be a registered Republican by July 22.
On the August Ballot
We know which offices are up for election this year. But we won’t know definitively which candidates are running for those offices until the end of the candidate qualifying period on June 14.
And because Florida is a closed primary state, we also won’t know until that date which partisan primary elections will be “closed” (only registered members of a political party may vote in its primary) and which will be “universal” (all voters, regardless of party affiliation, may vote). See my primer post, Florida’s Primary Elections Process, for more about those terms.
That said, based on filings to date according to the Florida Division of Elections and Collier Supervisor of Elections candidate tracking systems, here’s which offices I think will be on the August ballot and which I think won’t be on the ballot until November:
Federal Offices
- U.S. Senate: All Florida voters elect the state’s U.S. senators. Incumbent Rick Scott is running for a second term. Since he has Republican and Democratic challengers, both parties will hold closed primaries in August to choose their general election candidates.
- U.S. House: Each U.S. representative is elected by residents of their district. Find your congressional district.
- District 19: Incumbent Byron Donalds has one Democratic challenger. The race will be decided in November.
- District 26: Incumbent Mario Diaz-Balart has two Republican challengers, so there will be a closed Republican primary in August. The winner will face one Democrat in November.
- District 18: Incumbent Scott Franklin has two Democratic challengers, so there will be a closed Democratic primary in August. The winner fill face the incumbent in November.
State Offices
- State House: Each state House representative is elected by residents of their district. Find your state house district.
- District 81: Incumbent Bob Rommel is term-limited. The winner of a closed Republican primary in August will face a Democratic challenger in November.
- District 80: Incumbent Adam Botana has one Democratic and one Independent Party challenger. The race will be decided in November.
- District 82: Incumbent Lauren Melo has one Democratic challenger. The race will be decided in November.
- Circuit Judge: All residents in Florida’s 20th judicial circuit, which includes Collier County, elect its circuit court judges. This year, two of the 14 incumbents seeking reelection have challengers: Erik Leontiev and Elizabeth Krier. Both races will be decided in August in nonpartisan elections open to all voters.
County Offices
- County Commission: Each county commissioner is elected by residents of their district. Find your county commission district.
- In District 1, incumbent Rick LoCastro will face Write-In candidate Michaela Kendall in November.
- In District 3, incumbent Burt Saunders will face three challengers in a closed Republican primary in August. The winner will face a No Party Affiliation challenger in November.
- In District 5, incumbent Bill McDaniel has one Republican challenger. If this continues, the August primary will be universal and open to all District 5 voters. If not, it will be a closed Republican primary.
- Constitutional Offices: The county’s five constitutional officers are elected in partisan elections by all residents county-wide.
- Tax Collector: Incumbent Rob Stoneburner is unopposed.
- Property Appraiser: Incumbent Abe Skinner is not seeking another term. Four candidates are running, all Republicans. If this continues, the August primary will be universal and open to all Collier voters. If not, it will be a closed Republican primary.
- Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller: Incumbent Crystal Kinzel is unopposed.
- Sheriff: Incumbent Kevin Rambosk is unopposed.
- Supervisor of Elections: Incumbent Melissa Blazier has two Republican challengers. If this continues, the August primary will be universal and open to all Collier voters. If not, it will be a closed Republican primary.
- School Board: Incumbents Stephanie Lucarelli and Erick Carter both face challengers. These nonpartisan races will be decided in August in elections open to all voters county-wide.
Things to Do Now
Here are five things you can and should do now:
1. Make Any Changes to Your Voter Registration
Check your voter information with the Supervisor of Elections and make any needed changes to your name, address, or party affiliation. You can do this online at colliervotes.gov or by calling the Supervisor of Elections office at (239) 252-8683.
2. Make Sure Your Signature Hasn’t Changed
Will the way you sign your ballot match what the Supervisor of Elections has on file? Consider updating your signature to avoid any possible delays when you go to vote in person, or in processing your mail ballot. You can do it online or by calling the Supervisor of Elections office and asking them to mail you a form.
I update mine every few years, just to be safe.
3. Request a Vote by Mail Ballot
Florida is a no-excuse-needed Vote-By-Mail state. Request a vote-by-mail (VBM) ballot if you will not be in town to vote in person, prefer the convenience of voting from home, or just want to keep your options open.
Make or check the status of a VBM ballot request online at colliervotes.gov or by calling the Supervisor of Elections Office at (239) 252-8683.
The deadline for requesting a VBM ballot for the August elections is 5 p.m. on August 8.
IMPORTANT: The post office will not forward your vote-by-mail ballot, even if you’ve set up mail forwarding for all your mail. You need to tell the Elections Office directly where to send your ballot.
4. If You’re Not Sure, Check Again!
Because of a recent change in Florida election law, VBM ballot requests are only good for one election cycle, and you must indicate which elections (March Presidential Preference Primary, August primary, and/or November general election) in that cycle you want them for.
If you think you have already requested a VBM ballot for the August primaries but aren’t sure, check again!
5. Learn what will be on your ballot
Learn which races will be on your ballot based on where you live. I’ve given you the links above. If the incumbents are seeking reelection, do they deserve another term?
Seek out opportunities to meet the candidates and learn their positions on issues. Attend or watch a few candidate forums. There is a list on my Event Calendar.
Conclusion
Even though we won’t know for certain which races on the August ballot will be closed and which will be open to all voters, the serious candidates are already campaigning and raising money. It’s not too soon for you to start thinking about what more you want to know and how you will vote.
Take care of the five things to do now and start to get ready.
In the coming months, I’ll be doing a deep dive into the candidates and sharing what I learn here on Sparker’s Soapbox. I look forward to helping myself and you become more informed voters.
It’s in our best interests to participate in the election process in an informed way and to fully exercise our right to vote. After all, democracy is not a spectator sport.