Land O' Lakes and Lutz residents who want to vote in the Tuesday, Aug. 18, primary have until Monday, July 20, to register or switch their party affiliation. Residents who miss the deadline cannot register, and those already registered won't be able to change parties to vote in closed partisan contests.

The Pasco County elections office at 4111 Land O' Lakes Blvd., Suite 105, is open Saturday, July 18, from 8:30 a.m. to noon and Monday, July 20, until 7 p.m., according to Pasco Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley, who announced the extended hours Tuesday.

Lutz and Odessa residents on the Hillsborough County side can register online at VoteHillsborough.gov/Register or visit a Hillsborough elections office. Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer confirmed the same Monday, July 20, deadline.

A commission seat, school board races and a special Senate primary

The primary includes a closed Republican race for Pasco County Commission District 4. Incumbent Commissioner Lisa Yeager, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024 after Commissioner Gary Bradford's death, faces challenger Jonathon Deckard, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and small business owner from New Port Richey. Only registered Republicans can vote in that contest because a write-in candidate qualified for the general election.

Three Pasco County School Board seats are also up. Incumbents Al Hernandez (District 1) and Cynthia Armstrong (District 3) are not seeking reelection. School board races are nonpartisan and appear on every voter's ballot regardless of party.

Gov. DeSantis also scheduled a special primary election for State Senate District 21 on the same day. District 21 covers roughly 143,000 Pasco voters across 43 precincts, according to the Pasco elections office.

Closed primary rules limit who can vote in partisan races

Florida is a closed primary state. In partisan races, voters see only candidates from their registered party. Voters with no party affiliation can vote only in nonpartisan contests like school board and judicial races. Party changes must be submitted by Monday, July 20.

Corley's office began publishing daily turnout figures at PascoVotes.gov on Thursday. Pasco's primary turnout among registered voters has been low in recent cycles: 24.88% in 2022 and 15.88% in 2024, according to the elections office.

Key dates and contacts

  • Monday, July 20: Registration and party-change deadline
  • Friday, July 24: Sample ballots mailed to Pasco voters
  • Aug. 8-15: Pasco early voting at 12 locations
  • Aug. 3-16: Hillsborough early voting at 27 sites, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Aug. 18: Election Day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pasco voters can check registration, view sample ballots, or request a mail ballot at PascoVotes.gov or by calling 813-929-2788. Hillsborough voters can do the same at VoteHillsborough.gov or by calling 813-744-5900.

Mail-in registration forms sent to the Pasco elections office at P.O. Box 300, Dade City, FL 33526, must be postmarked no later than Monday, July 20.