The city elections are fast approaching.
In order to vote on March 19, you must be a Gainesville resident and you must be registered to vote by Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Pam Carpenter, Alachua County supervisor of elections, said people who still need to register have a few options.
On the Supervisor of Elections website, potential voters can download registration materials and then fill out and mail in the documents, making sure they’re postmarked by the deadline.
Potential voters can also go to the office, located at 111 SE First Ave., where they can fill out and turn in the application in-person, or drop it in the office’s mail slot on the front door until midnight that Tuesday.
“There are lots of different ways that you can register to vote,” Carpenter said. “It’s whatever’s most convenient for the voter.”
For college students, one’s legal place of residence can get confusing. Many moved to Gainesville from other cities and states, so they’re not sure which place of residence they’re allowed to vote in.
“Florida law says that you must be registered in the precinct of your legal residence,” Carpenter said. “If a student has moved their legal residence to Gainesville, and they live within the city limits of Gainesville, they would be able to vote as long as they are registered 29 days before the election.”
Voters can expect mayoral candidates on the ballot as well as candidates for a district commission seat.
There will also be questions about moving the odd-year city election date to sometime in the fall and changing length of tenure for commissioners.
“There’s something on the ballot for everyone to vote on,” Carpenter said.
