Florida elections, 2016
Welcome to the Florida elections portal for 2016. Scroll down for information about what was on the ballot, election dates, voting, and more. Florida saw elections for the offices listed below in 2016. Click the links to navigate to Ballotpedia's overview pages for each of these elections, where you will find background, candidate lists, dates, analysis, and more.
Election results
The state government of Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party holds the governorship as well as a majority in both the state Senate and state House. As a result of the 2016 election, Republicans control the state Senate with 25 seats to Democrats' 15 seats. Republicans also control the state House with 79 seats to Democrats' 41 seats. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) identified the Florida State Senate and House of Representatives as targets in the 2016 elections.
Florida has two U.S. Senate seats and 27 U.S. House seats. All of the U.S. House seats and one U.S. Senate seat were up for election in November. Republican Marco Rubio won re-election to the U.S. Senate in a race that was considered a battleground race. The U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Scalia's death in early 2016 highlighted the importance of this race due to the impact that the Senate's partisan balance would have on confirming a replacement.
Florida's 27 U.S. House seats are held by 16 Republicans and 11 Democrats. During the 2016 elections, Florida's 18th and 26th U.S. House district elections were expected to be among the most competitive congressional elections in the country.
Florida is one of 26 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that offer initiative and/or veto referendum rights for its citizens. Five statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in 2016. Four were approved, and one was defeated.
Donald Trump won Florida's 29 electoral votes in the 2016 general election for president. Barack Obama carried Florida in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. See also: Presidential election in Florida, 2016.
Voting
| Dates | |
|---|---|
| Presidential primary dates | |
| Florida election dates | |
| 3/15/2016 | Presidential primary |
| 8/30/2016 | State primary |
| 11/8/2016 | General election (nationwide) |
| Ballot access dates | |
| 4/4/2016 | Deadline for judicial, state attorney and public defender candidates qualifying by petition to submit completed petitions to supervisors of elections |
| 5/2/2016 | Qualifying period for judicial, state attorney and public defender candidates begins |
| 5/6/2016 | Qualifying period for judicial, state attorney and public defender candidates ends |
| 5/23/2016 | Deadline for federal, state representative, state senate, county office and special district candidates qualifying by petition to submit completed petitions to supervisors of elections |
| 6/20/2016 | Qualifying period for federal, state representative, state senate, county office and special district candidates begins |
| 6/24/2016 | Qualifying period for federal, state representative, state senate, county office and special district candidates ends |
Find answers to common questions about voting in Florida below.
- How do I register to vote?
- Is there an early voting period?
- Who is eligible for absentee voting?
- What are the voter ID laws in Florida?
- What time were the polls open?
General information about voting or getting on the ballot is provided at the following links.
Official elections page: Florida Division of Elections
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Florida utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[1][2][3][4]
Elections to watch
- Florida's 18th Congressional District election, 2016
- Florida's 26th Congressional District election, 2016
- United States Senate election in Florida, 2016
What makes an election notable?
History
Presidential Voting Pattern
The percentages below show Florida voter preference in general election presidential races from 2000 to 2012.[5]
For more information, see: Presidential voting trends in Florida.
Florida vote percentages
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U.S. vote percentages
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State profile
This excerpt is reprinted here with the permission of the 2016 edition of the Almanac of American Politics and is up to date as of the publication date of that edition. All text is reproduced verbatim, though links have been added by Ballotpedia staff. To read the full chapter on Florida, click here.
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Florida Division of Elections, "Closed Primary Election," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "Presidential Elections Data," accessed August 7, 2015
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable elections:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Elections that receive considerable media attention
- Elections that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Noteworthy elections involving party leaders
- Open, competitive elections with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Elections that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
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