Local primary elections this Tuesday

Local primary elections this Tuesday

Residents concerned about who represents them in county and state offices will have their first opportunity to let their opinion be known this Tuesday during Florida’s primary elections. All

over the tri-county area of North Florida, interest has been keenly focused on hotly contested races with incumbents facing tough challenges. Additionally there are also races with no incumbent that have drawn crowded fields of candidates.

The upcoming ballot includes local and constitutional offices in Baker, Bradford and Union Counties, from sheriff and county commissioners, to school superintendents.

The August primary in Florida is a closed primary, meaning that voters can only cast a ballot for the party in which they are registered. That provision could be pivotal in the State District 12 House of Representatives race, where charges of political interference have been level at leaders of Baker County‘s Republican Party.

Those charges and the presence of two write in candidates appearing on the Democratic side of the ballot led to a substantial number of voters switching their party affiliation in order to be able to cast a vote for one of the two Republicans in the race.

The polls will be open from 7am to 7pm and a photo id is required. Voters unsure of where their precinct is can call their local county elections office or check on-line at the Florida Secretary of State/Elections Division web site.