The registration window is limited. Update it now, before July 20 closes it.
Every election cycle, thousands of Florida voters show up ready to cast a primary ballot and find out they can’t — not because they missed a deadline, but because of how they’re registered. That’s the reality of a closed primary state.
The basics
Your ballot access is tied to your registration.
In an open primary state, any registered voter can pick whichever party’s primary they want to vote in, regardless of their own registration. Florida doesn’t work that way.
In a closed primary system, only voters registered with a party can vote in that party’s primary. Your ballot access is tied directly to your voter registration — not your personal politics, not who you plan to support in November, and not what’s printed on your driver’s license. It’s the party box you checked when you registered.
Why it matters
Primaries are often where the real decisions get made — especially in local and county races where one party dominates the general election. Skipping the primary can mean skipping the only competitive vote on the ballot.
County commissioners, school board members, and state legislators who shape your contract are decided here.
A common story
How this catches even experienced voters.
Registration isn’t something most people revisit. You register once — often years ago, maybe in a different county, maybe before your political views shifted — and then you assume it just works whenever you show up to vote.
For a general election, that assumption usually holds. For a closed primary, it doesn’t. If your registration says one party and you meant to vote in the other party’s primary — or you’re registered with no party affiliation and expected to vote in a partisan race — you’ll find out at the polls, not before.
The good news: this is entirely fixable, and it takes about five minutes. The only catch is the calendar.
Know before you go
Who votes in what.
Registered DemocratYou vote in the Democratic primary. |
Registered RepublicanYou vote in the Republican primary. |
No Party AffiliationYou can still vote on nonpartisan races and ballot measures. |
Key deadline
Monday, July 20, 2026. Don’t let it close.
| 2026 Florida Primary — Registration | STATUS: PENDING |
Confirm you’re registered, your address is current, and your party affiliation is right.
July 20 is also the deadline to change your party affiliation.
Most people don’t find out their primary is closed until they’re standing at the polls.
On the ballot
What’s at stake in August
For SEIU FPSU members, this isn’t an abstract civics lesson. The people elected in these primaries go on to shape the budgets, staffing levels, and policy decisions that touch your contract and your workplace directly.
COUNTY COMMISSION · SCHOOL BOARD · STATE LEGISLATURE · LOCAL BALLOT MEASURES
Registration takes five minutes. Missing the window takes it away for an entire election cycle. Check yours today, and pass this along to a coworker who might not know Florida’s primary is closed.
Register at registertovoteflorida.gov
SEIU Florida Public Services Union — built by members, for members.
