Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
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
As a result of the 2016 elections, Florida maintained a Republican trifecta—meaning the party held control of the governorship, the state Senate, and the state House. Republicans controlled the state Senate with 25 seats to Democrats' 15 seats. Republicans also controlled 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.
In 2016, Florida had 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.
At the time of the 2016 election, Florida's 27 U.S. House seats were 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.
In 2016, Florida was one of 26 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that offered 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
See Primary elections in Florida.
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.[1]
For more information, see: Presidential voting trends in Florida.
Florida vote percentages
|
U.S. vote percentages
|
See also
Footnotes
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