Everything you need to know about local primary elections

Many August votes will be final. Our reporter explains.

By Ed James III

Original Air Date: July 29, 2026

Host: The primary elections are coming up August 18. But “primary election” is the wrong term for many of the races, because the vote will be final. Confused? WSLR News reporter Ed James III explains everything you’ll see on the ballot.

Ed James III: August primaries in Florida can be remarkably confusing, but they are arguably the most impactful elections for our daily lives here in Sarasota County. My goal today is to clear away the noise and give you a plain-English roadmap before you head to the polls or drop off your mail-in ballot for Tuesday, August 18.

First, let’s lock in the key deadlines from the Supervisor of Elections office:

• The deadline to register to vote or update your party affiliation was Monday, July 20. Sorry, you’re too late for this one.
• The deadline to request a Vote-by-Mail ballot is Thursday, August 6 by 5:00 p.m.
• In-person early voting runs from Saturday, August 8 through Sunday, August 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
• On Election Day, Tuesday, August 18, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at your assigned home precinct polling location. Remember to bring a valid Florida-approved photo and signature ID. You can find your precinct location by checking on the ballot you may have received in the mail. If you don’t have one, check the Sarasota Supervisor of Elections website, click on “voters” in the main menu, and look for “find my precinct.”

If you choose to vote early, you can cast your ballot at any of the six designated early voting sites across Sarasota County. To find them, go to sarasotavotes.gov and click on “early voting.”

1. Sarasota Elections Office at the Terrace Building, 2001 Adams Lane in Sarasota
2. Venice Elections Office at the R.L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 South Tamiami Trail in Venice
3. North Port Elections Office in Biscayne Plaza, 13640 Tamiami Trail in North Port
4. Betty J. Johnson Library, 2801 Newtown Boulevard in Sarasota
5. Colonial Oaks Park, 5300 Colonial Oaks Boulevard in Sarasota
6. Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Avenue in Sarasota]

Open vs closed primaries

Now, let’s break down one of the biggest points of confusion on Florida ballots: open versus closed primaries. What you can actually vote on depends on your party registration.

Florida is a closed primary state. In standard partisan races, you must be registered with a specific political party to vote in that party’s primary. This August, registered party voters will be choosing candidates for federal and state offices. They include:

• U.S. Senator;
• U.S. Representative for Congressional Districts 16 and 17;
• Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and several Cabinet Members—including Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Commissioner of Agriculture—
• State Senate District 22; and
• State House Districts 73, 74 and 75.

2020 vote stickers | Photo via Creative Commons

If you’re registered as No Party Affiliation (NPA) or with a minor party, you’re out of luck. State law normally blocks you from voting in those partisan races.

However, if you are a registered NPA or minor party voter in Sarasota County, pay close attention: You are not shut out of all primary elections. Some Sarasota voters will be able to vote in up to three universal primaries, depending on what district you live in., as well as nonpartisan races like the School Board and City Commission—provided you live in the city limits.

So, what makes a race a universal primary contest?

Under the Florida Constitution, a universal primary occurs when all candidates running for an office belong to the exact same political party, and there are no write-in candidates or opponents running in November. Because the winner of the primary will take office with zero general election opposition, Florida law opens that race to all registered voters, regardless of whether you are a Democrat, Republican, NPA or minor party voter.

We have three key universal primaries on the Sarasota ballot this August where all listed candidates are Republicans:

1. Sarasota County Commission District 2: Incumbent Republican Mark Smith is facing Republican challenger Kristina Sargent;
2. Hospital Board Northern District, Seat 1: Republican candidates Brad Baker and Bill Woeltjen are competing for the seat; and
3. Charter Review Board District 1: Three Republican candidates are on the ballot: Nicholas Altier, Alexandra Coe, and Bill Van Allen.

Now, you might be wondering about the “Write-In Loophole.” In Florida political history, political strategists have sometimes recruited a “write-in candidate”—even someone who never actively campaigns—because Florida law considers a write-in candidate a “November general election opponent.” That single filing closes the August primary to only party members, shutting out non-party voters. In these three races, no write-in candidates filed, preserving them as universal.

Which Aug 18 votes will be final?

And that brings us to a crucial point: Which races will be final on August 18, irrespective of the outcome?

Here are the primaries open to all eligible voters:

First, all three universal primaries I mentioned earlier — County Commission District 2, Hospital Board Northern District Seat 1, and Charter Review Board District 1 — are guaranteed to be 100% final in August.

Second, in nonpartisan races, any candidate who earns a true majority—50% plus one vote—wins the seat outright in August. Because of this, nonpartisan races with only two candidates on the ballot are guaranteed to be final on August 18 irrespective of outcome. Since there are only two choices, one candidate is mathematically certain to get more than 50% of the vote. On our Sarasota ballot, that means:

• School Board Member District 4 (between Frank DiCicco and Megan Tennimon) and
• School Board Member District 5 (between Beth Mayberry and Michelle Pozzie).

Both District 4 and District 5 School Board seats will be completely decided on August 18.

Which August races will not be final?

By contrast, look at School Board Member District 1. It’s a three-way race (Heidi Brandt, Teresa DeWitt, and Jimmy Glover). If one candidate receives over 50%, they win outright. But if no candidate reaches 50% plus one vote, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff in November.

And here is a major storyline for the School Board this year: all three incumbents are not seeking reelection. District 1 incumbent Bridget Ziegler, District 4 incumbent Robyn Marinelli and District 5 incumbent Karen Rose are all stepping aside—guaranteeing that we will see three brand-new faces on the Sarasota County School Board following these elections.

Districts and unique local rules

Next up, let’s talk about geographic boundaries and unique local rules: Single-Member Districts versus At-Large elections. In an At-Large system, candidates might live in a specific district, but every voter across the entire area gets to vote on every seat. In a Single-Member District system, voters only vote for the candidate who represents their specific geographic district.

Sarasota County voters passed a charter amendment switching the Board of County Commissioners to Single-Member Districts. On your ballot, you will only see the candidates for the district you live in. 

However, other local bodies operate under hybrid systems.  The City of Sarasota Commission is nonpartisan and consists of five members: three representing single-member districts (Districts 1, 2, and 3) and two elected at-large.

However, if you do not live within city limits of Sarasota these seats won’t appear on your ballot.

For city residents, both at-large city seats are up for election this year. Incumbent Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch is running for reelection, but Mayor Debbie Trice is not seeking reelection—guaranteeing at least one newcomer on the city commission.

Here is where the city charter rules come in: because five candidates qualified for the at-large seats, a first election is held on Aug. 18. In this August race, voters will help narrow down the field. The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes on Aug. 18 will advance to the general election ballot on Nov. 3. Then in November, the top two vote-getters will win the seats and be sworn into office on Nov. 6 to serve four-year terms.

Hospital Board and Charter Review Board

Finally, let me re-emphasize two crucial “bottom of the ballot” board races: the Hospital Board and the Charter Review Board.

The Sarasota County Public Hospital Board governs the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System — one of the largest public health systems in Florida, operating hospitals in Sarasota and Venice. This 9-member elected public board hires and oversees the CEO, approves multi-million-dollar health budgets, decides on facility expansions, and holds statutory authority to set a local property tax millage rate.

The Sarasota County Charter Review Board is an elected citizen body representing each county district that studies county government operations. They have the power to place charter amendments on the ballot for voters to decide.

Every single line on your ballot touches your wallet, your healthcare, your schools, and your local rights. Every vote counts, especially in an August primary where voter turnout is typically lower, meaning your individual vote carries significantly more weight.

Check your voter status, request mail ballots, or verify your polling site right now at sarasotavotes.gov.

Reporting for WSLR 96.5 FM, I’m Ed James III. Happy voting, Sarasota!

WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.