The Lee County Supervisor of Elections Office mailed the initial 164,226 requested domestic vote-by-mail ballots last Tuesday for the Aug. 23 primary election.

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail Ballot for the Primary Election is 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13. Vote-by-Mail Ballots must be returned to the Lee County Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on Aug. 23.

The United States Postal Service recommends that voters mail their voted ballots at least one week before the due date to allow for timely receipt and processing by the elections office.

Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle encourages voters to request a vote-by-mail ballot “in the event they can not go to the polls due to an emergency or inclement weather,” he stated in the announcement issued by the office. Requests can be made by calling 239-533-8683 or by going online at www.lee.vote.

The races

John Albion, Joseph Gambino and Mike Greenwell will vie in the Republican primary for the District 5 Lee County Board of County Commissioners seat vacated by the late Frank Mann. The winner will face Democrat Matthew Wood and write-in candidate Angela Chenaille in a special election Nov. 8.

Lee County Clerk Kevin Karnes is facing a challenge from Liza King in a Republican primary.

Congressman Byron Donalds (R-19) is facing a primary challenge from Charlotte County Republican Jim Huff.

The Florida Democratic Party will hold a primary to determine its nominee to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis. There are four Democrats running in the primary. Congressman and former Gov. Charlie Crist, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried are considered the frontrunners. Political newcomers Cadance Daniel, of Jacksonville, and Robert Willis, of Brevard County, are also running.

A Democratic Party primary will be held for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Marco Rubio. Four Democrats are running in the primary: Congresswoman Val Demings, clean energy entrepreneur Ricardo De La Fuente (who has previously run for offices in California and Texas), Tampa lawyer and former state representative Brian Rush and Miami immigration lawyer William Sanchez.

A Democratic primary also will be held for the race to challenge Attorney General Ashley Moody. The Democratic Party candidates are former state attorney Aramis Ayala, Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney Jim Lewis and Santa Rosa Beach attorney Daniel Uhlfelder.

Three Democrats and two Republicans are facing off in primaries for the Commissioner of Agriculture office being vacated by Fried. Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson is running for the seat against Vero Beach farmer James Shaw in the GOP primary. Author and minister Naomi Blemur, former congressional candidate J.R. Gaillot and cannabis activist Ryan Morales comprise the Democratic Party field.

Dropping off ballots and early voting

Voters may drop off their voted ballots at any office of the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on Election Day, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In addition to voting by mail, early voting begins Aug. 13 and runs through Aug. 20. There are 12 early voting locations throughout Lee County in which voters from any location or district can vote at. Those locations can be found at: https://www.lee.vote/Early-Voting-Information/Early-Voting-Locations.

During early voting, voters may drop off their vote-by-mail ballot at an authorized secure ballot intake station (formerly drop box) located at every early voting site from Saturday, Aug. 13, through Saturday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily. For a complete list of early voting sites and directions, visit www.lee.vote.

Voters may track their Vote-by-Mail ballot online at www.lee.vote to see when their request was received and when their ballot was mailed, received, and counted.

Requests for mail-in-ballots for the Nov. 8 general election must be received by the Lee County Supervisor of Elections Saturday, Oct. 29.