WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The first of several deadlines in a special election to fill the congressional seat left vacant by the death of U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., is soon approaching.
Monday marks the deadline for those Palm Beach County or Broward County residents living in Florida's 20th Congressional District to change their party affiliations before the Nov. 2 primary election.
Hastings, who served in the House since 1993, died of pancreatic cancer in April. He was 84.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis set the primary and general election dates for Nov. 2 and Jan. 11, leaving the constituents of this mostly Democratic district without representation in Washington for months.
Am I eligible to vote in the special election?
The short answer is, most likely, yes, provided you meet a few basic requirements and assuming you reside within Florida's 20th Congressional District.
In order to register to vote, you must:
- Be a citizen of the United States of America (a lawful permanent resident is not a U.S. citizen for registration and voting purposes);
- Be a Florida resident;
- Be at least 18 years old (you may preregister if you are 16 years old);
- Not now be adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having had your voting rights restored;
- Not have been convicted of a felony in Florida, or any other state, without your civil rights having been restored;
- Provide your current and valid Florida driver's license number or Florida identification card number. If you do not have a current and valid Florida driver's license number or Florida identification card, you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not have any of the above, check the appropriate box provided on the voter registration application.
What do I need when I go to vote?
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the special and general elections. Any voters waiting in line at 7 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot.
In order to vote, you must provide a Florida driver's license, identification card, U.S. passport or some other form of photo identification with signature.
Where is Florida's 20th Congressional District?
The district includes portions of Palm Beach and Broward counties. That includes parts of Loxahatchee, Royal Palm Beach, West Palm Beach and Lake Park in Palm Beach County and parts of Fort Lauderdale, Miramar and Pompano Beach in Broward County.
Who are the candidates?
A total 11 Democrats and two Republicans -- plus one Libertarian and three independents, one of whom is a write-in candidate -- are seeking to occupy the seat.
Here are the candidates, in alphabetical order by party:
Democrats
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick: CEO of Trinity Health Care Services
Elvin Dowling: West Palm Beach native, former aide and longtime mentee of Hastings
Bobby DuBose: minority leader in Florida House, representing portions of Broward County
Omari Hardy: Florida House District 88, former Lake Worth Beach commissioner
Dale Holness: Broward County commissioner, former mayor once endorsed by Hastings
Phil Jackson: retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer
Emmanuel Morel: former president of Democratic Progressive Caucus of Palm Beach County
Barbara Sharief: Broward County commissioner, previously served as first Black mayor
Imran Siddiqui: doctor of internal medicine in Broward County
Priscilla Taylor: former state legislator, Palm Beach County commissioner and mayor
Perry Thurston: Florida Senate District 33, representing portions of Broward County
Republicans
Jason Mariner: former drug addict and convict, CEO of AdSkinz
Greg Musselwhite: welding inspector who lost to Hastings in 2020 general election
Libertarian
Mike ter Maat: Hallandale Beach police officer since 2010
Independents
Jim Flynn
Leonard Serratore
Shelley Fain (write-in)
What is the difference between a primary and general election?
Florida is a closed-primary state, which means that only voters registered within a political party may vote in that party's primary election, unless a universal primary contest occurs. A universal primary contest is when all candidates for an office have the same party affiliation and the winner will have no opposition in the general election.
That is not the case in this special election, so voters won't be able to cast their ballots for a candidate in another party. For example, a Republican voter can't vote for a Democratic candidate during the primary election and vice versa.
Important Dates
Monday, Oct. 4: Deadline to register for primary election or change party affiliation
Monday, Dec. 13: Deadline to register for general election
Saturday, Oct. 23: 5 p.m. deadline to request vote-by-mail ballot
Tuesday, Nov. 2: 7 p.m. deadline to return vote-by-mail ballot
Tuesday, Nov. 2: District 20 primary election
Tuesday, Jan. 11: District 20 general election
Early Voting Dates
Saturday, Oct. 23-Sunday, Oct. 31: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (primary election)
Saturday, Jan. 1-Sunday, Jan. 9: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (general election)
Early Voting Locations
Palm Beach County Library, Belle Glade Branch
725 NW Fourth St.
Belle Glade 33430
Palm Beach County Library, Main Library
3650 Summit Blvd.
West Palm Beach 33406
Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, West County Branch Office
2976 State Road 15, Second Floor
Belle Glade 33430
Palm Beach State College, Loxahatchee Groves Campus
15845 Southern Blvd.
Loxahatchee Groves 33470
Wells Recreation & Community Center
2409 Ave. H W.
Riviera Beach 33404
