Early in-person voting for primary elections begins Saturday at 10 sites in Brevard

Early in-person voting for the 2024 primary election begins Saturday at 10 polling places throughout Brevard County.

Early voting for the primary will be conducted from Saturday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 17. Voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.

Voters can cast their ballot at any early-voting site, regardless of where they live.

Complete guide: Here's your ultimate voter guide to 2024 elections, candidates, issues in Brevard County

Because Florida is a closed-primary state, only registered Republicans can vote in a Republican primary and only registered Democrats can vote in a Democratic primary. All registered voters can vote in nonpartisan primaries, such as for Brevard School Board, judge races, and municipal races for mayor and council seats.

Most of the partisan primaries in Brevard County are Republican.

Here's what you need to know about early voting:

Where are the early-voting sites?

These are the 10 sites:

• Dr. Joe Lee Smith Community Center, 415 Stone St., Cocoa.

• Kiwanis Island Park Gymnasium, 950 Kiwanis Island Park Road, Merritt Island.

• Max K. Rodes Park Community Center, 3410 Flanagan Ave., West Melbourne.

• Scotty Culp Municipal Complex, 565 Cassia Blvd., Satellite Beach.

• Ted Whitlock Community Center, 370 Championship Circle NW, Palm Bay.

• Titusville Elections Office, 400 South St., Titusville.

• Titusville Public Library, 2121 S. Hopkins Ave., Titusville.

• Tony Rosa Palm Bay Community Center, 1502 Port Malabar Blvd. NE, Palm Bay.

• Viera Regional Community Center, 2300 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera.

• Wickham Park Community Center, 2815 Leisure Way, Melbourne.

Wait times at the early-voting sites will be posted on www.VoteBrevard.gov as voting takes place.

What are the nonpartisan primaries that all registered voters can vote in?

Brevard School Board (Districts 3 and 4); 18th Judicial Circuit judge (Group 17); Brevard County judge (Groups 6 and 10); Palm Bay mayor; Palm Bay City Council (Seats 2 and 3); Titusville mayor.

What are the Republican primaries that only Republicans can vote in?

U.S. senator; U.S. representative (District 8); Florida Senate (District 19); Florida House of Representatives (Districts 32 and 33); Brevard County tax collector; Brevard County supervisor of elections; Brevard County Commission (Districts 1, 3 and 5); Republican state committeeman and state committeewoman; several Republican precinct committeeman and committeewoman positions.

What are the Democratic primaries that only Democrats can vote in?

U.S. senator; U.S. representative (District 8); Florida House of Representatives (District 33); several Democratic precinct committeeman and committeewoman positions.

What is the expected voter turnout for the primary?

Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic said turnout for even-year local primary elections typically is 25% to 35% of registered voters.

"I'm always hoping for strong turnout," Bobanic said.

As of Thursday, more than 24,000 Brevard voters already have cast their ballots by mail.

Is it too late to register to vote or change political party affiliation in time for the primary?

It's too late. The "book-closing" date for the primary was July 22.

How many people are eligible to vote in the primary?

There were 430,721 registered voters in Brevard County as of the book-closing date.

That includes 194,533 Republicans; 113,904 Democrats; 107,699 "no party affiliation" voters; and 14,585 members of minor political parties.

Can I still request a vote-by-mail ballot?

Yes. But time is running out.

Voters not already on the mail ballot request list have until 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, to request a mail ballot be sent to them prior to the Aug. 20. election.

Requests can be made at VoteBrevard.gov, by calling 321-290-VOTE (8683) or at any of the four administrative offices.

These are the office locations:

• Melbourne: 1515 Sarno Road, Building A.

• Palm Bay: 450 Cogan Drive SE.

• Titusville: 400 South St., Suite 1F.

• Viera: 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Building C, Suite 105.

Can voters cast a vote-by-mail ballot at an early-voting site?

Yes. For voters wishing to return their voted mail ballots, secure ballot intake stations are available at any of the 10 early-voting locations during hours of operation.

The mail ballots also can be dropped in the ballot intake stations in the lobby of all four supervisor of elections administrative offices during business hours.

What else should voters know?

Bobanic suggests that voters should verify that their voter record is accurate; to update their signature on file at the Supervisor of Elections Office if it has changed; and to know where their precinct-specific polling location is if they choose to vote in person on Election Day.

He also said voters who have concerns about information they have seen heard about the election can get accurate information by going to the VoteBrevard.gov website or by calling the office 321-290-VOTE (8683).

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at [email protected], on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Early in-person voting for primary elections begins Saturday in Brevard