Florida is a closed-primary state.
That means voters generally must be registered with a political party to vote for that party's candidates in a partisan primary.
Party registration matters before the deadline
The Florida Division of Elections says a voter may change party affiliation, but the change must be made by the registration deadline for the upcoming primary in order to vote in that party's partisan contests.
Florida Division of Elections: Closed Primary Elections
There are exceptions
All registered voters may participate in certain primary contests when every candidate for an office has the same party affiliation and the primary winner will face no opposition in the general election.
All voters can also vote in nonpartisan races and local referendum questions that appear on a primary ballot.
General elections are different
In a general election, registered voters are not limited to candidates from the party with which they are registered.
Primary rules can be confusing because one ballot may contain both partisan contests with restrictions and nonpartisan contests open to everyone. Voters should review current information from the Division of Elections and their county Supervisor of Elections.
