August 18th is often referred to as primary election day, but all registered voters can vote, as many of the races on the August 18th ballot are nonpartisan! Whether you're registered as a Republican, Democrat, or Libertarian, or have no party affiliation, you can vote on August 18th. Go ahead and vote!

 

The August 18th elections are really three elections in one. The ballot will feature:

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1) Nonpartisan elections, including races for circuit and county court judges, and school board candidates. School Board District 8 is a general district, covering the entire county.

 

2) Universal (open) primaries. When there are no candidates from an opposing party, everyone can vote, and the winner of the August elections is chosen. There are open primaries for Broward County Commission District 6 (parts of Hollywood and all of Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Park, and West Park) and State House District 98 (parts of Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, and Oakland Park).

 

3) Party primaries (closed), which determine the party's nominee for the November elections. Party races include the U.S. Senate, congressional districts, state Senate and House districts, governor, finance director, and agriculture commissioner.

 

There are impartial guides to help voters make decisions. The League operates the Vote411 website ( https://www.vote411.org/ ). We ask candidates to submit their biographical profile and answer a few questions. For each election, all candidates are asked the same question, allowing us to compare their responses. If we have held a candidate forum, a link to the YouTube video will be displayed.

 

Another nonpartisan site is Florida Ballotpedia ( https://ballotpedia.org/Florida ).

 

If you have any problems on Election Day, call Election Protection, a nonpartisan organization, at 888-VE-Y-VOTA to speak with someone in Spanish. This service is administered by the NALEO Educational Fund ( https://naleo.org/ ), the nation's leading nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that facilitates the full participation of the Latino community in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.
 

Monica Elliott

League of Women Voters of Broward County