Vote!

Scenes from Sarasota's First Day of Early Voting

From essential workers to retirees to first-time voters, here's who showed up today.

10/19/2020 By Megan McDonald Photography by Barbara Banks

Breaking News

After Widespread Issues, Florida Supervisor of Elections Extends Voter Registration Deadline

Voter registration applications may still be submitted online and in-person through 7 p.m. today. Applications postmarked with today's date will also be counted.

10/06/2020 By Staff

Elections

General Election Ballots in the Mail to Domestic Voters

The Sarasota County elections office sent 132,796 vote-by-mail ballots on Sept. 24; another 7,600 will go out Sept. 25.

09/24/2020 By Staff

Elections

General Election Ballots Sent to Military and Overseas Voters

Another 132,796 ballots are scheduled for mailing to domestic voters beginning Sept. 24.

09/18/2020 By Staff

Vote!

Reflections From a First-Time Voter

Teenager Ximena Chafloque cast her ballot and urges other young women to do the same.

08/18/2020 By Susan Burns

The Future Was Female

A Timeline of Notable Events Leading to the Passage of the 19th Amendment

Plus, a list of books and films to read and watch. Consider this your suffragist primer.

08/18/2020 By Staff

Milestone Moment

Florida Studio Theatre Celebrates Women's Suffrage Centennial Aug. 20

A special online event will wrap up the communitywide Suffragist Project.

08/18/2020 By Kay Kipling

The Future Was Female

A List of Books, Plays and Films to Illuminate Your Understanding of the Suffragist Movement

There's something for everyone.

08/18/2020 By Staff

Elections

Early Voting Scheduled for August 18 Primary

Early voting will run from Saturday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 16 from 8:30-4:30 p.m. daily.

07/23/2020 By Staff

The politics of the pandemic

Sarasota's Supervisor of Elections Explains Why Voting by Mail Remains 'Safe and Secure'

Ron Turner walks us through how voting by mail works in Sarasota County.

05/27/2020 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Florida Primary

After Serving Her Time in Prison, a Sarasota Woman Goes to the Polls

Betty Riddle voted for the first time in her life at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex this morning.

03/17/2020 By Isaac Eger

Vote

Voter Registration Deadline for March 17 Presidential Primary Is Feb. 18

Remember that Florida is a closed primary state, so voters are eligible to vote only for the candidates of their own party in a primary election.

01/22/2020 By Staff

Awards

New College of Florida Receives National Awards for High Student Voter Turnout

In last year’s election, 64.2 percent of the New College student body voted, compared to 29.3 percent in 2014.

11/12/2019 By Staff

Elections

Supervisor of Elections Recruiting Bilingual Poll Workers

Bilingual poll workers are needed at the polls to ensure that Spanish-speaking voters are able to exercise their rights to vote without any language barriers.

08/08/2019 By Staff

Unity Awards 2019

Demetrius Jifunza Helped 1.6 Million Floridians Win Back Their Right to Vote

Jifunza founded the Sarasota chapter of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, the statewide organization behind Amendment 4, a measure created to restore voting rights to most felons after they have completed their sentence.

01/24/2019 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Civil rights

NAACP's Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Takes Place Feb. 2

The event begins at 9 a.m. at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Bradenton.

01/09/2019 By Staff

Civil rights

Floridians Affected By Amendment 4 Begin Registering to Vote

'Today is a new day,' says Demetrius Jifunza, the founder of the Sarasota chapter of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, the group that led the effort to pass Amendment 4.

01/08/2019 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Politics

Elections Supervisor to Accept New Registrations From Those Affected By Amendment 4

Amendment 4, which goes into effect Tuesday, restores voting rights for most individuals with prior felony convictions who have completed their sentences.

01/07/2019 By Staff

Young Blood

An Upswing of Under-30 Voters Puts Our Politics in Uncharted Territory

In November's general election, 13,019 voters under the age of 30 cast a ballot in Sarasota County. That was a more than 200 percent increase from the fewer than 6,000 voters under 30 in the 2014 midterms.

12/26/2018 By Giulia Heyward

Politics

Polls Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday

A reminder to cast your ballot in this year's midterm elections.

11/05/2018 By Staff