Primary System In Florida-2020

     Primary System in Florida 2020

Primary System in Florida -- 2020

PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY—March 17, 2020

The 2020 Presidential Preference Primary Election (PPP) is part of the nominating process in Florida for the United States Presidential elections.  In the PPP, voters registered in one of the two major political parties vote for their preference for the presidential candidate they would like to see representing their party on the General Election ballot in November.  After the PPP, designated political party delegates from Florida nominate the preferred candidate at the respective party’s national convention.  The Democratic National Convention will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 13-16.  The Republican National Convention will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 24-27.  Based on the party rules governing delegate voting procedures, the party decides at the convention which presidential candidate will represent the party on the General Election Ballot.  See the list of candidates on the Florida PPP ballot under Candidates. 

There will also be select Municipalities with commission elections on March 17:  Lauderdale By The Sea, Lighthouse Point, and Pembroke Pines.  Pompano Beach will have 3 Charter Amendments on their ballot.  See www.browardsoe.org

Florida has a closed primary system which means that only those voters enrolled in the Party can vote in the Party’s primary.  Whenever there are 2 or more candidates of the same political party vying for the same position, party members, in the Primary Election, choose the candidate to represent them in the November General Election.  The regular 2020 fall primary will be on August 28. 2020 Primary ballot.  All voters, with any other affiliation, will vote for those  non-partisan candidates for County Court Judges, Circuit Court Judges and School Board, Districts 2, 3, 5, and At-large Seat 9.

Special Universal Primary:  There is an interesting exception to the closed primary rule.  Voters amended the Florida Constitution in 1998 to allow any registered voter to vote in a primary if there will be no other challenger on the November General Election Ballot.  That is, if 3 Democrats qualify for a district seat in the Florida Legislature, and no Republican or other party candidate, including write-ins, qualifies to be on the November ballot, all registered voters may vote in that primary.  This allows all voters to choose the representative, in effect treating the Primary as a General Election.  If no one receives 50% plus one vote (a majority), the run-off will be held at the November General Election.

PARTISAN RACES IN THIS ELECTION CYCLE:

Elected from districts in Broward:  all U.S. Congressmen;  Florida State Senators Districts 29, 31, and 33;  all Florida House members;  Broward County Commissioners Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.  Also, County wide,  Public Defender; State Attorney;  Clerk of the Courts;  Property Appraiser;  Sheriff;  Supervisor of Elections.