Are you planning to vote in the 2020 presidential preference primary election on Tuesday, March 17? No matter your party affiliation, here’s what you need to know to get up to speed.
Eligible voters will cast a ballot at the location on their voter registration card, which should have been received in the mail. Florida is a closed primary election state, meaning only voters who are registered members of political parties may vote for respective party candidates or nominees.
Sabrina Ullman, the voter registration chair of Get Out the Vote (GOTV) at the University of Miami, a student-led campaign which aims to increase civic participation among their peers, said if you did not receive a card, you can visit vote.org to find your polling place.
“The presidential primary election is how voters will determine who will be the presidential nominee for their respective party,” said Ullman, who double majors in broadcast journalism and meteorology. “Since we live in a representative democracy, it’s important for people to vote.”
On Miami-Dade’s sample ballot, four Republican candidates and 16 Democratic candidates are listed, respectively. Voters planning to vote should bring their driver’s license to the polls.
“Students can also bring their ’Cane Card in addition to their driver’s license, just in case,” said Ullman.
The bridge that connects Hecht and Stanford Residential Colleges is considered the dividing line on campus for polling places, Ullman said. Students who live in the University Village apartments and Stanford Residential College will cast their ballots at St. Augustine Catholic Church, and students who reside in Eaton, Hecht, Mahoney, and Pearson Residential Colleges will vote at the Watsco Center. Both polling locations also serve the greater Coral Gables community.
In her role, Ullman is responsible for hosting training sessions for voter registration ambassadors, scheduling tabling to increase GOTV visibility, and strategizing creative ways to increase civic engagement on campus with her fellow executive board members.
The University and the student-led GOTV initiative successfully registered 1,051 students during the 2018 midterm election—more than double its 2014 student voter turnout rates.
Visit https://www.vote.org/election-protection/ for more information about voting rights.
