The Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) election is coming this Tuesday, but only Republicans can fill out a ballot.

In Florida, the PPP is the first step of the election cycle, where voters choose which presidential nominee will represent their party in the general election. 

The primary election and general election follow the primaries. 

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Before casting your ballot, an overview of the three can outline their differences.

Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) – Tuesday

The PPP allows Florida’s Democrat and Republican parties to narrow down the presidential candidates before moving on to the General Election.

Voters receive a ballot aligning with their party affiliation and must pick which presidential candidate best represents their party.

Voters registered with an independent party or lacking a party affiliation cannot vote in this election. 

This year, only the Republican Party will have a PPP in Florida.

Related: OPINION: The Republican party is its own biggest threat

Candidates on the ballot

There will be seven candidates on the ballot, but six have already withdrawn from the race.

This leaves Republicans with a choice of former President Donald Trump or any of the withdrawn candidates.

Trump’s campaign for his second term is unfolding as he faces the legal aftermath of four criminal charges in 2023.

He is focused on preventing immigration, improving trade, instituting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and increasing policing, according to AP News.

The withdrawn candidates, like Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, will remain on the ballot because they dropped out of the race after the deadline to remove a candidate’s name from the ticket.

The Florida Democratic Party submitted solely incumbent President Joe Biden’s name as a candidate, allowing him to win the state’s nomination.

How you can vote

The deadline to register for the PPP was on Feb. 20, but if you have registered to vote before and the information used is correct, you do not need to register again. 

To check your voter registration, you can look up your information on Florida’s Online Voter Registration website. 

Although the deadlines for mail-in voting and early voting have passed, in-person polling places will open Tuesday.

If you live near or on campus, the Marshall Student Center and Hillel Jewish Student Center are both polling places open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

A form of identification, like a driver’s license or passport, is needed.

If you live farther away, a master list of Hillsborough County’s polling places is available on the Supervisor of Elections website.

Why does this matter?

Political Analyst Susan MacManus, a USF professor who retired in 2018, said an overexposure to politics online might prevent young people from voting. 

“If [younger people] don’t vote, that means somebody else’s vote is going to count twice as much,” MacManus said.

The number of Americans between 18 and 29 years old who plan on voting has decreased from 57% to 49% since 2020, according to a poll conducted by Harvard’s Institute of Politics in 2024. 

More young voters than ever lack a party affiliation, according to MacManus. Dissatisfaction with candidates and voter fatigue are the main reasons cited by MacManus.

“We have record levels of people that are totally turned off of elections at the moment, particularly younger people,” MacManus said. “But voting is much easier today than it used to be for busy students.”

The Division of Elections website lists each election date, as well as the ability to register to vote, update or review your voter registration, look at sample ballots, find out where to vote and request to vote by mail.

What’s next?

The primary election in Florida is held to select party nominees for various federal, state and local offices, such as senators and representatives. 

To participate in the election, you must be registered to vote by July 22. 

If you would rather not go to a polling place physically when it is time to vote, you can request a vote-by-mail ballot by Aug. 8. 

You can return the ballot in person at an early voting polling place or by mail to the Supervisor of Elections office.

Early voting 

If you want to vote before Election Day, there are several locations open from Aug. 10-18 where you can fill out a ballot.

Early voting locations can be found online. 

Election day 

Primary election day will be on Aug. 20. If you choose to vote on Election Day, voters must vote at their assigned precinct. This can be found on the Supervisor of Elections website.

USF has several resources that include more information on registering to vote while living on campus, educating your vote and future dates and deadlines. 

These can be found on the voter education page. 

With the PPP around the corner, now is the time to inform your vote and participate in the electoral process before the general election on Nov. 5.