PRESS RELEASE: Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd Provides 2024 Presidential Preference Primary Election Day Recap

Tallahassee, Fla. –

Today, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd provided a recap of the statewide Presidential Preference Primary Election (PPP) held yesterday, Tuesday, March 19. Preliminary election results show that more than 1.2 million voters exercised their right to vote during the election through voting on Election Day (395,096), early voting (231,782), and vote-by-mail (591,119).

“Florida’s 2024 election season has begun. Since voting began in February, over a million Florida voters were able to use the secure voting option most convenient to them to cast their ballot for the Presidential nominee and candidates for local offices,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd. “Governor Ron DeSantis and the Department of State have made integrity and transparency a top priority in Florida’s elections administration so that Floridians can have the highest confidence in the results.”

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, April 1, 2024. These official results will then be presented to a meeting of the Elections Canvassing Commission on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 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 toll-free voter assistance hotline answered more than 276 calls from Florida voters requesting assistance. Most calls were related to Supervisor of Elections contact information, polling precinct information, and registration information and status.

• Preliminary election results show that more than 1.2 million voters exercised their right to vote during the election through voting on Election Day (395,096), early voting (231,782), and vote-by-mail (591,119). 

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, April 1. These official results will be certified at a meeting of the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission at 8 a.m. on April 2 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 19: PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE PRIMARY ELECTION DAY

• Preliminary 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 19). 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 21, no later than 5 p.m. local time.

March 23: Unofficial Returns to include all results are due from the Department of State no later than noon, Saturday, March 23. (Section 102.141, Florida Statutes)

April 1: Official Returns are due from the county canvassing boards no later than noon, April 1. (Section 102.112, Florida Statutes)

April 2: The Elections Canvassing Commission meets to certify the Official Returns for federal, state, multicounty and district contests at 8 a.m. on April 2. The Elections Canvassing Commission consists of the Governor and two members of the Florida Cabinet selected by the Governor (Section 102.111, Florida Statutes).

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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 https://dos.fl.gov/elections/.