Early voting has begun for the March 17 Florida presidential primary. The two Lakeland locations — Polk County Government Center, 950 E. Parker St., and Simpson Park Community Center, 1725 Martin L King Jr. Ave. — are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through March 14.

Voting in the Democratic and Republican primaries is open only to voters registered as members of those parties.

Other early voting locations in Polk County are:

  • Bartow: Polk Street Community Center, 1255 Polk St.
  • Davenport: Ridgeview Plaza, 45589 U.S. 27 North
  • Haines City: Haines City Library, 111 N 6th St.
  • Lake Wales: James P Austin Community Center, 315 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. N.
  • Mulberry: Mulberry Civic Center. 901 NE 5th St.
  • Poinciana: Poinciana Community Center, 395 Marigold Ave.
  • Winter Haven: Gill Jones Center/Northeast Polk County Government Center, 3425 Lake Alfred Road

The primary ballots were compiled in December and include the names of several candidates who have since dropped from the presidential race. Sample ballots can be found here: Democrat | Republican

Early voting is one of three methods listed by the Polk Supervisor of Elections. They include:

  1. Vote the traditional way.  Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on March 17.
  2. Vote by Mail.  Requests can be made by calling the Elections Office or visiting PolkElections.com.  The last day voters can request a mail ballot to be mailed for this election is Saturday, March 7.  All mail ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
  3. Vote early.  Voting will be available at nine convenient locations around Polk County from March 2 through March 14.  Early voting hours are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

In addition, eight Lakeland polling places have changed for the March 17 primary:

Precinct 113 New Location: Kathleen Baptist Church – 3939 2nd St NW, Lakeland
Former Location: Kathleen United Methodist

Precinct 114 New Location: Kathleen Baptist Church – 3939 2nd St NW, Lakeland
Former Location: The Revolution Church

Precinct 116 New Location: Gibsonia Baptist – 5440 US Hwy 98 N, Lakeland
Former Location: Ignited Church

Precinct 125 New Location: Believers Fellowship – 5240 N Socrum Loop Rd, Lakeland
Former Location: Ignited Church

Precinct 201 New Location: Holiday Inn Express and Suites – 4500 Lakeland Park Dr, Lakeland
Former Location: Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I.

Precinct 218 New Location: CityPlace Church – 300 Longfellow Blvd, Lakeland
Former Location: Nuevo Comienzo (New Beginnings)

Precinct 222 New Location: Mas Verde – 2600 Harden Blvd, Lakeland
Former Location: Legacy Christian Church

Precinct 225 New Location: CityPlace Church – 300 Longfellow Blvd, Lakeland
Former Location: Crystal Lake United Methodist

For more information, please visit PolkElections.com or call the Elections Office at (863) 534-5888.

SEND CORRECTIONS, questions, feedback or news tips: newstips@lkldnow.com

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Barry Friedman founded Lkldnow.com in 2015 as the culmination of a career in print and digital journalism. Since 1982, he has used the tools of reporting, editing and content curation to help people in Lakeland understand their community better.

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