OCALA, FL (352today.com) – With Tropical Storm Debby expected to hit the coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, two counties in the 352 have been forced to postpone the start of early voting.

The counties that have changed their dates are Alachua and Levy Counties, which were originally scheduled to open the doors to early voting on Monday, August 5.

Instead, the two counties will be pushing back the date to Tuesday, August 6.

This is a reminder that early voting will begin approximately 10 days before the primary election and end on August 17. Dates and times vary by county, so let’s break it down:

  • Early voting for Alachua County starts Tuesday, August 6 at 9 a.m. (Originally August 5)
  • Early voting for Citrus County starts Friday, August 9 at 9 a.m.
  • Early voting for Dixie County starts Saturday, August 10 at 8:30 a.m.
  • Early voting for Gilchrist County starts Saturday, August 10 at 8 a.m.
  • Early voting for Hernando County starts Saturday, August 10 at 9 a.m.
  • Early voting for Lake County starts Thursday, August 8 at 10 a.m.
  • Early voting for Levy County starts Tuesday, August 6 at 8 a.m. (Originally August 5)
  • Early voting for Marion County starts Saturday, August 10 at 10 a.m.
  • Early voting for Sumter County starts Saturday, August 10 at 9 a.m.

The links provided will take you to your county’s designated supervisor of elections website, where you can find the nearest voting precinct in your area.

|PREPARING FOR THE STORM: Sandbags, shelters, emergency info for North Central Florida

If you don’t want to vote in person, you can always submit a vote-by-mail ballot but the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Thursday, Aug. 8.

Just a reminder; Florida is a closed primary election state, meaning only voters registered with a specific political party can vote for candidates in partisan races.

If you’re not registered, you’re too late. The deadline was July 22.

Voters not registered to a specific party can still vote on issues and nonpartisan races in the primary elections.

While most of your attention goes towards storm preparations, 352Today will continue to update you with developments in early voting. Stay safe.