Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee Provides 2020 Presidential Preference Primary Election Day Recap

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

Today, Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee provides a recap of the statewide Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) held yesterday, Tuesday, March 17. Preliminary election results show that more than 2,985,039 voters exercised their right to vote during the election through vote-by-mail, early voting and voting on Election Day.

“Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary was a success, due to the cooperative efforts of Florida’s Supervisors of Elections, election workers and voters,” said Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee. “Under the direction of Governor DeSantis, we proactively worked with emergency management officials to ensure that Supervisors had the necessary resources for sanitization and cleaning at polling places to help ensure the safety of voters on Election Day. Thanks to our 67 county Supervisors of Elections, their staff and thousands of poll workers, Floridians were met with professionalism in addressing concerns, and a steady commitment to ensuring eligible voters were able to vote.”

Florida’s preliminary election results are available on the Florida Election Watch website: FloridaElectionWatch.gov.  Please keep in mind: preliminary election results on Election Night are not the official election results. Official election results from the 67 counties are due to the Florida Division of Elections no later than noon on Sunday, March 29. These official results will then be presented to a meeting of the Elections Canvassing Commission on Tuesday, March 31 for certification. Statistics regarding vote-by-mail and early voting are available on the Florida Division of Elections website.

ELECTION DAY RECAP

• VOTER ASSISTANCE HOTLINE – From 7 a.m. through polls closing at 7 p.m. local time, the state’s Division of Elections staff answered more than 1300 calls from Florida voters requesting assistance. Most calls were related to polling precinct information, registration information and status, assistance with ballots and status of vote-by-mail ballots.
• COUNTIES – Out of concern for at-risk populations, polling places were moved and/or consolidated, and some voters were not able to vote at their usual precinct. Voters from those sites were accommodated either at their new precincts, or through other methods, such as vote-by-mail and provisional ballots. 

REPORTING AND CERTIFICATION TIMELINE

Preliminary returns reported to the state on Election Night are not the official election results. Official returns are due to the Department of State from county canvassing boards no later than noon on March 29. These official results will be certified at a meeting of the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission at 9 a.m. on March 31 at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. The Elections Canvassing Commission consists of the Governor and two members of the Florida Cabinet selected by the Governor (Section 102.111, Florida Statutes).

Florida’s timeline for the reporting and certification of election results is as follows:

March 17: PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY ELECTION DAY

• Preliminary Primary Election Night Returns consisting of early voting and all vote-by-mail results tabulated to date were due no later than 7:30 pm in the respective county’s time zone on Election Night (Tuesday, March 17). Thereafter, the board reported in until all precinct-election results were completely reported. (Section 102.141, Florida Statutes)
• Note: Pursuant to Section 101.048, Florida Statutes, the deadline for persons voting a provisional ballot to provide evidence of eligibility to Supervisors of Elections is March 19, no later than 5 p.m.

March 20: Unofficial Returns to include all results with the exception of 10-day ballots from overseas voters are due from the county canvassing boards no later than noon on Thursday, March 20. (Section 102.141, Florida Statutes)

March 27: Ballots from overseas uniformed service members and overseas civilians (UOCAVA voters) must be received by March 27. Ballots must be postmarked or signed and dated no later than the date of the Presidential Preference Primary. (Section 101.6952(5), Florida Statutes)

March 29: Official Returns are due from the county canvassing boards no later than noon on March 29. (Section 102.112, Florida Statutes)

March 31: The Elections Canvassing Commission meets to certify the Official Returns for statewide contests at 9 a.m. on March 31 at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. The Elections Canvassing Commission consists of the Governor and two members of the Florida Cabinet selected by the Governor (Section 102.111, Florida Statutes).

###

About the Florida Division of Elections: The Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections supports the Secretary of State, Florida’s Chief Election Officer, in ensuring that Florida has fair and accurate elections. The Division’s three bureaus; the Bureau of Election Records, Bureau of Voter Registration Services, and Bureau of Voting Systems Certification, have several responsibilities in the areas of legal compliance and elections administration to ensure that Florida’s election laws are uniformly interpreted and implemented. The Division also assists local Supervisors of Elections in their duties and promotes enhanced public awareness and participation in the electoral process. For more information about Florida’s elections, visit dos.myflorida.com/elections/.