Early voting resumes for U.S. Congressional District 1 Matt Gaetz

Early voting is set to resume Friday in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties following a winter storm that shut down polling places for several days this week.

The Republican primary for the District 1 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz in November is Tuesday, Jan. 28. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Gay Valimont, independent candidate Stephen Broden and several write-in candidates on April 1.

Early voting began as scheduled on Saturday, Jan. 18, with extended hours, but was suspended on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because a winter storm left an estimated 10 inches of snow in some parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and made road conditions unsafe for the voters cared and poll workers.

Escambia County elections director Robert Bender and Santa Rosa County elections director Tappie Villane both said Thursday they plan to reopen polls with extended hours, both Fridays and Saturdays, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“I would say at this point we are planning to open it at 7am tomorrow. “We will make a final decision on whether we need a later opening (Friday) depending on how road conditions develop today,” Bender said Thursday morning, but he noted: “All signs point to us tomorrow at.” “We will be open at 7 a.m..”

Villane said Santa Rosa County is taking a similar stance, noting that teams have surveyed the area around the main election office manager in Milton, 6495 Caroline St., Suite F, and did not foresee any major issues with travel. She said they would conduct a similar review at the county’s other early voting site, the South Santa Rosa Service Center (Annex) in Gulf Breeze; 5841 Gulf Breeze Parkway.

“If anything else happens today, we will provide an update,” Villane said. “But we plan to have all staff and poll workers ready by 7 a.m. (Friday).”

According to unofficial turnout data from the Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections website, about 2% (2,328) of the county’s 91,205 registered Republican voters had participated in early voting as of midday Thursday. About 942 voted by mail and 1,386 participated in early voting during the limited hours.

Voter turnout was slightly higher in Escambia County, with about 6% (6,099) turnout among the county’s 102,284 registered Republican voters. The unofficial totals as of midday Thursday showed 3,597 votes were cast by absentee ballot and 2,502 votes were cast during early voting.

“We saw strong participation in the first, at least two days,” said Bender. “They were a lot better than what we saw in March, but I think these were people trying to get in and vote before the storm. So we’re happy that after the weather, we’ll hopefully have two full days of early voting.” Event and Election Day, Jan. 28, all locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The seat became vacant when Gaetz resigned the seat he had held since 2016. Gaetz initially resigned after being appointed attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump. When the nomination failed, Gaetz, who had the choice of returning to his seat, decided against it.

Ten Republicans will face off against each other on Tuesday. Taking part in the race are Florida chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis, retired naval aviator Aaron Dimmock, doctor and former Navarre state representative Dr Jeff Peacock, educator Kevin Gaffney, former Navy pilot John Mills, lawyer Michael Dylan Thompson and the Fort Walton Beach resident Jeff Macey.

Republican primary candidates:Meet the 10 candidates vying for Matt Gaetz’s seat in the U.S. Congress

Early Voting Locations in Santa Rosa County:

Santa Rosa Supervisor of Elections Office, 6495 Caroline St., Milton
South Santa Rosa Service Center, 5841 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze

Early voting locations in Escambia County

Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, second floor, Pensacola
Main Library, 239 N. Spring St., Pensacola
Molino Community Center, 6450 Highway 95A North, Molino
Asbury Place in Cokesbury, 750 College Blvd., Pensacola
Southwest Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway, Pensacola
Escambia County Extension Services, 3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment
Bellview Library, 6425 Mobile Highway, Pensacola

Polling location changes in Escambia County on Election Day, Tuesday:

New permanent changes starting January 28, 2025

District 22 – Billy G. Ward Century Courthouse, 7500 N. Century Blvd., Century
District 24 – St. John’s Episcopal Church, 401 Live Oak Ave., Pensacola

New temporary changes for January 28, 2025

District 98 – St. John Divine Baptist Church, 620 E. Jordan St., Pensacola

Temporary changes will continue to apply from 2024

District 31 – Main Library, 239 N. Spring St., Pensacola
District 49 – Career Source Escarosa, 6913 N. Ninth Ave., Pensacola
District 106 – Career Source Escarosa, 6913 N. Ninth Ave., Pensacola

Important dates for upcoming elections

The 2025 special primary election on Tuesday, January 28th is for Republican voters only. The state of Florida is holding closed primaries, meaning only registered Republicans are eligible to vote in the 2025 special primary.

The April 1 special election is open to all registered voters. Here are the most important dates:

Registration deadline: March 3, 2025
Deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail: March 20, 2025
Mandatory Early Voting Period: March 22-29, 2025 (up to 6 additional days may be offered depending on county)
Election day: April 1, 2025

One of the candidates for the U.S. Congressional seat in District 1 is former state Rep. Joel Rudman, who resigned his seat in the Florida House of Representatives representing District 3 to run.

Florida House D3 races:Special election dates are scheduled for Randy Fine and Joel Rudman

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued executive orders Tuesday calling for a special primary election on April 1 and a special general election, if necessary, on June 10 in House District 3, according to documents posted on the state’s Division of Elections website .

State House District 3 Special Primary Election Key Dates:

Registration deadline: March 3, 2025
Deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail: March 20, 2025
Mandatory early voting period: March 22-29, 2025 (The district may offer up to 6 additional days)
election day: April 1, 2025

State House District 3 Special Election – Key Dates:

Early voting resumes for U.S. Congressional District 1 Matt Gaetz

ByAmelia Journalton

By Amelia Journalton

Related Post

What investors need to know

The Teamsters Union is preparing for a possible Costco Streik on Saturday

Randy Travis announces “Special” New Single “Horses in Heaven”, reports a preview with the fans

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You missed

What investors need to know

The Teamsters Union is preparing for a possible Costco Streik on Saturday

Randy Travis announces “Special” New Single “Horses in Heaven”, reports a preview with the fans

Jets that look at the Lions’ Tanner Engstrand for offensive coordinator position