PRESS RELEASE: Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd Provides 2022 Primary Election Day Recap

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

Today, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd provided a recap of the statewide Primary held yesterday, Tuesday, August 23. Preliminary election results show that more than 3,697,530 voters exercised their right to vote during the election through voting on Election Day (1,329,065), early voting (613,864), and vote-by-mail (1,732,680).

The 2022 Primary Election saw millions of Florida voters successfully cast their ballot in a free and fair election,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd. “Yesterday’s results prove once again that Florida leads the nation in election administration. Our elections continue to be free and fair because of the reforms championed by Governor DeSantis and the Legislature. Florida voters can have the highest confidence that their vote will be counted, and their voice will be heard.”

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 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30. These official results will then be presented to a meeting of the Elections Canvassing Commission on Thursday, September 1 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 around 650 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.

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 5 p.m. on August 30. These official results will be certified at a meeting of the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission at 9 a.m. on September 1 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:

August 23: 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, August 23). 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 August 25, no later than 5 p.m. local time.

August 26: Unofficial Returns to include all results are due from the Department of State no later than noon on Friday, August 26. (Section 102.141, Florida Statutes)

August 30: Official Returns are due from the county canvassing boards no later than 5 p.m. on August 30. (Section 102.112, Florida Statutes)

September 1: The Elections Canvassing Commission meets to certify the Official Returns for federal, state, multicounty and district contests at 9 a.m. on September 1. The Elections Canvassing Commission consists of the Governor and two members of the Florida Cabinet selected by the Governor (Section 102.111, Florida Statutes).

###

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 program administration and three bureaus: 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.