ELECTIONS

Heading to the polls in Lee County? Here are five things to know before you go

News-Press staff

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It’s Election Day in Southwest Florida. Before you head to the polls, here are five things to know about today's primary election in Lee County.

1. What time do the polls open, and what do I need to bring?

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today for this first election day during the pandemic.

Precinct information:Find a sample ballot for your precinct (and to look up your precinct) here

Poll workers will ask all voters for a valid ID — it must have the voter's photo and signature — including any of these: 

  • Florida driver’s license
  • U.S. passport
  • Debit or credit card
  • Military identification
  • Student identification
  • Retirement Center identification
  • Public assistance identification
  • Neighborhood association identification
  • Florida Identification Card issued by the Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles
  • A license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm
  • Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the federal, state, a county, or a municipality
  • Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs

2. Who can vote in primaries?

Florida is a closed primary state. This means that only voters who are registered members of a political party may vote for their respective party’s candidate in a primary election. Voters without a party affiliation or those registered with a minor political party, are not eligible to vote.

However, there are times when all registered voters can vote in a primary election, regardless of which major or minor political party they are registered or even if they are registered without a specific party affiliation. If all the candidates for an office have the same party affiliation and the winner of the primary election will not face any opposition in the general election (i.e. no write-in candidates have qualified), then all registered voters can vote for any of the candidates for that office in the primary election.

3. What is on the ballot?

Lots of decisions are expected today, while some may end up in a runoff and others we won’t know the final results until the Nov. 3 general election. 

  • Voters in Cape Coral and Fort Myers will choose council members, while Fort Myers also votes for a new mayor.
  • Three Lee County Commission and three Lee school board seats are also on the ballot.
  • Constitutional offices like sheriff and property appraiser are also being decided. We will also be closer to knowing who will be the Republican candidate for the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, while whittling down a full Republican field to just one may be hard and could lead to a runoff.
  • Several state Senate and House seats are also up for grabs.

4. Who has voted so far?

In Lee County, out of 468,141 eligible voters, 115,936 have already cast ballots, or nearly 25 percent.

5. How do I find out who won?

Get the latest results at news-press.com.

For more information: Visit lee.vote or call 239-LEE-VOTE (533-8683).

Want to learn more about candidates and races? Check out our voter guide

Here's everything you need to know about Lee County primaries, candidates