What is the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP)?

• The Presidential Preference Primary Election (PPP) is part of the presidential nominating process for Florida’s major political parties. Voters registered with those parties express 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 formally nominate the preferred presidential candidate at the respective party’s national convention. These national conventions are typically held in July or August. Based on the party rules, the party decides at the convention which presidential candidate will represent the party on the General Election ballot.

When is the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP)?

• Florida’s PPP is on March 17, 2020. The deadline to register to vote or update party affiliation was February 18, 2020. Eligible voters can vote by mail, by voting early, or by voting at the polls on Election Day.

Who can vote in the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP)?

• Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary is a closed-primary election. This means that you must be a registered with one of Florida’s major political parties in order to be eligible to vote for one of the party’s nominees in the PPP.
  
  For detailed information regarding county, municipal and other local contests, please contact your county Supervisor of Elections office.

Why are there still names on the 2020 Florida Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) ballot for party candidate nominees who have “dropped out or “suspended” their campaigns?

• When a candidate nominee reportedly “drops out” or “suspends” a campaign, it does not necessarily mean the end of a campaign or mean the same thing as a notice of withdrawal.
  
  In Florida, presidential candidate nominees for the major political parties had until December 9, 2019 to formally withdraw their names from being placed on the PPP ballot. (See Section 103.101(3), Florida Statutes). The Secretary of State certified on December 11, 2019 all the names of the candidate nominees to appear on the respective party’s PPP ballot.

Do voters get notified if a party candidate nominee officially withdraws from the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) in Florida?

• Supervisors of Elections may provide notice to the voter with a vote-by-mail ballot or at the polls after a candidate has withdrawn, been disqualified, or passed away. The deadline to officially withdraw from the Presidential Preference Primary Election was December 9, 2019. The Department of State has not received any written notice of withdrawal since the names on the party ballot were certified. Even if a presidential candidate nominee were to file a withdrawal at this time, it is too late for the name to be removed from the ballot.

Do votes cast for party candidate nominees who have suspended their campaigns still get counted?

• Any votes cast for a party candidate nominee whose name is on the ballot will be counted and reported in the election results.

Can I cast another vote-by-mail ballot if I voted for a party candidate nominee who has “dropped out” or “suspended” his or her campaign?

• Once a voter votes in person or a Supervisor of Elections receives a voted vote-by-mail ballot, the ballot is deemed cast. The voter cannot vote again.

Can I change my party affiliation for the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP)?

• The deadline to change party affiliation to be in effect for the 2020 Presidential Preference Primary was February 18, 2020.

How many active registered voters are there in Florida? How many voters are eligible to vote in the Presidential Preference Primary?

• Book closing reports contain aggregated data on the number of active registered voters in Florida as of the registration deadline for the upcoming election. For the Presidential Preference Primary Election, the latest book closing report shows there are 13,701,765 total active registered voters in Florida as of February 18, 2020.
  
  While not all active registered voters are eligible to vote on party contests on a party’s Presidential Preference Primary Ballot, additional contests may appear on the ballot in one or more county jurisdictions for which all voters in that jurisdiction may vote regardless of party affiliation.
  
  For additional book closing reports by county, party affiliation, and race, please click here.