Tuesday is an important deadline for Florida voters. Beware of fake news like the text messages voters received about the Naples mayor election. My Naples mayor candidate forum transcript and summary are now available on Sparker’s Soapbox. And don’t put it off: request a Vote-By-Mail ballot.
Trump or Haley? Tuesday is an Important Deadline
The deadline to register to vote or update your party affiliation to participate in Florida’s 2024 Republican Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) is this Tuesday, Feb. 20.
Only the Republican Party will have a Florida PPP this year because the state’s Democratic Party has chosen Joe Biden to be its candidate.
Only registered Republicans may vote in the PPP because Florida is a closed primary state. Learn more about the importance of your party affiliation in a closed primary state in my primer about Florida’s Primary Election Process.
Florida’s PPP will be on Tuesday, Mar. 19.
With the Feb. 20 deadline to update your party affiliation (if needed) just days away, you should do so IN PERSON at the Supervisor of Elections Office.
Find your Florida Supervisor of Elections.
For Collier County citizens, the Supervisor of Elections main office is at 3750 Enterprise Avenue, Naples. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The two Collier County SOE satellite offices are open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday:
— North Collier Government Services Center, 2335 Orange Blossom Dr, Naples
— Heritage Bay Government Services Center,15450 Collier Blvd, Naples
To check your party affiliation or voter registration status, visit the State of Florida Voter Registration Lookup website. In Collier County, you can also visit the Collier Supervisor of Elections website at www.CollierVotes.gov or call (239) 252-VOTE (8683).
Beware of Fake News
Voters should be aware of “mysterious” text messages thanking them for requesting a Vote-By-Mail ballot when they had not requested one.
In Naples last week, text messages spread by a political action committee called Win America PAC made it sound like they were coming from Naples mayoral candidate Gary Price. But Price told NBC-2 political reporter Dave Elias he didn’t send them.
“This, to me, is election fraud,” Collier Supervisor of Elections Melissa Blazier told Elias about the text messages.
Be wary of political ads, emails, text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, and other communications you receive. Political ads are required to say who paid for them — as at the bottom of the ads below.
The Latest on Sparker’s Soapbox
Last week, I published several posts about the upcoming Mar. 19 elections on Sparker’s Soapbox. Naples City Council Candidates and Naples Mayor Candidates are works-in-process.
Since the initial posting, I added to the Naples Mayor Candidates post a complete transcript of the Feb. 1 mayoral candidate forum, as well as a summary of the three candidates’ responses to each of the questions asked. In the coming days, I’ll post a transcript and summary of the city council candidate forum and will begin to look at campaign contributions.
Check Sparker’s Soapbox regularly for my latest posts about the upcoming elections. There’s more to come.
Vote-By-Mail Ballot Request
You can request a Vote-by-Mail ballot online or by contacting your local Supervisor of Elections office. In Collier County, visit www.CollierVotes.gov or call (239) 252-VOTE (8683).
Any registered voter in Florida can vote by mail. Formerly known as “absentee voting,” Florida voters need no excuse to cast their ballot by mail. Voting by mail is an easy and convenient way to make your voice heard in any election.
Requests for Vote-by-Mail ballots to be sent by mail must be received no later than 5 p.m. on the 12th day before the election.
For the Mar. 19 election, the deadline is Mar. 7.