Originally published in 2024. Updated for the 2026 election cycle on May 14, 2026.

An understanding of Florida’s primary election process is crucial if you want your votes to make a difference. That’s because the laws governing primary elections in Florida are different from those in other states, and some rules even vary by political party.

Here is some information to help you be a more informed voter in the upcoming primaries.

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Partisan vs. nonpartisan elections

Examples of partisan primaries are the primaries held in August of even-numbered years for partisan political offices like senator and county commissioner, and the presidential preference primary held in presidential election years.

Nonpartisan elections do not consider political parties. The candidate who gets 50% of the votes + 1 in a nonpartisan primary election is declared the winner. If no candidate gets the majority of the votes, the top two vote-getters face off in the general election. Examples are elections for school board and judges.

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Florida is a closed primary state

How you are registered in a closed primary state determines which party’s primary elections you may vote in.

Specifically, only those registered with a party may vote in its partisan primary election. Only registered Republicans may vote in the Republican Party primary, and only registered Democrats may vote in the Democratic Party primary.

Independent or unaffiliated voters are, by definition, excluded from participating in either party’s nomination contest. This is intended to prevent “crossover” voting.

The deadline to register with a party to vote in its primary is 29 days before election day. That deadline is referred to as the “book closing date.”

For Florida’s 2026 elections, the “book closing” deadline for the August 18 primary is July 20, 2026.

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The universal primary and the role of write-in candidates

In 1998, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment that created an exception to the state’s closed primary rule. Under this amendment, if all the candidates for an office are from the same political party and there is no opposition in the general election, then all registered voters—regardless of party affiliation—are allowed to vote in that party’s primary. This is known as a “universal primary.”

But in 2012, both a federal district court (in Lacasa v. Townsley) and a Florida appeals court (in Telli v. Snipes) ruled that a write-in candidate counts as general election opposition, even if they have little chance of winning. In both instances, Democratic Party candidates were at the center of the disputes, and the Democratic Party was the one accused—implicitly or explicitly—of exploiting the write-in provision to keep primaries closed.

As a result of these rulings, the presence of a write-in candidate keeps the primary closed to voters who aren’t registered with the party. In practice, this ruling has allowed political parties to avoid holding universal primaries simply by recruiting a write-in candidate to run in the general election.

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How does someone become a write-in candidate?

Under Florida law, a person becomes a write-in candidate simply by filing qualifying paperwork during the official qualifying period and meeting the legal requirements for the office. Unlike regular candidates, write-in candidates are not required to pay a qualifying fee or submit petitions signed by voters. A write-in candidate’s name will not appear on the ballot; voters must physically write in the candidate’s name for the vote to count.

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Conclusion

Understanding Florida’s closed primary system and primary election process is vital for informed voting.

Awareness of the distinction between partisan and nonpartisan elections and the need to register with a political party in a timely manner to participate in its closed primary is critical.

It’s also essential to be on the lookout for exceptions, like universal primaries and the write-in loophole.

Many, if not most, Florida elections are for partisan political offices. Partisan primary elections often determine the winner in one-party-dominated areas, like Collier County.

Remember: The last day to register with a party to vote in its 2026 primary is 29 July 20, 2026.

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This article was originally published in the Naples Daily News and The News-Press on Feb. 4, 2024, as Florida’s primary election process explained.

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Read more about Collier County primary elections in these Sparker’s Soapbox posts:

• Party Affiliation and Florida as a Closed Primary State
• The Republican Primary: Collier County’s Most Important Election
• Collier County’s 2024 Primary Elections
• Collier County’s 2022 Primary Elections
• Collier County’s 2020 Primary Elections
  

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