Guide to Election Types in Highlands County

• •Florida is a closed primary state, meaning voters can only vote for candidates in their registered political party during primary elections.
• •Primary elections are held on the Tuesday, 11 weeks before the General Election.
• •A Universal Primary Contest (UPC) allows all qualified electors to vote regardless of party affiliation if all candidates in the race share the same party and have no general election opposition.
• •Non-partisan judicial and school board elections occur on the same day as the primary election.
• •In non-partisan races, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates advance to the General Election.
• •General elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years.
• •Voters may vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation during the General Election.
• •Presidential Preference Primaries occur every four years.
• •Municipal elections are held separately by individual cities and towns; residents must live within city boundaries to vote in them.
• •Email addresses sent to the elections office are considered public records under Florida Statute 668.6076.

Residents need to understand these election rules to know which candidates they are eligible to vote for based on their party registration and residency status.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.