Today is the last day you can register to vote in the Florida, local primary election

If you haven't registered to vote yet in the Aug. 20 primary election, today's your last chance.

To help meet last-minute demand, the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office will have expanded office hours. The office, located at 2990-1 Apalachee Parkway (the corner of the Parkway and Capital Circle), will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m.

You can also register to vote online at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov . Your application must be complete by 11:59 p.m. tonight.

There's also still time to mail in an application, so long as it's postmarked by July 22. The address is Leon County Supervisor of Elections, P.O. Box 7375, Tallahassee, FL 32314-7357.

“I encourage all eligible Leon County residents to register to vote, or if you are already registered, make sure your voter registration record is updated with your desired party affiliation and current address,” said Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley. “Voters have several options to register in Leon County, and my office will stay open late on July 22 to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to register or change their political party affiliation.”

Today is also the deadline to change your political party affiliation ahead of the primary.

Several nonpartisan races will be decided in the primary because only two candidates are running. Other races with more than two candidates could be decided if a candidate wins more than half the vote.

How to check if you're registered to vote in Florida

Checking your voter registration status in Florida is an easy process. Here’s how to do it:

• Visit the Department of State website
• Enter your first and last name and your birthday
• Accept the terms of service by checking the option that says you “understand and agree”
• Submit your information

After submitting your information, you’ll see a form that provides your voter registration information. At the bottom, you’ll see your registration status, which will say either active or inactive.

Register to vote online or in person

If you need to register, visit RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov to complete the registration online. You will need your Florida driver's license or ID card, and the last four digits of your Social Security number to register completely online.

You can register in person at the Supervisor of Elections office at 2990-1 Apalachee Pkwy or at any of the other government offices listed below:

• Leon County Tax Collector Offices
• Public Libraries
• Division of Blind Services
• Ability 1st Center for Independent Living
• FAMU CeDAR
• FSU Office of Accessibility Services
• TCC Student Accessibility Services
• Armed Forces Recruitment Offices

How do Florida primary and general elections work?

Florida is one of 12 states that use a closed primary election process. That means that you may only vote for candidates of the party you are registered with. Independent voters, or nonpartisan voters, are not able to vote for partisan candidates during closed primaries.

During the general election, all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote for any candidate of their choosing.

Primary election key dates

• Deadline to register to vote: July 22
• Early voting period (mandatory period): Aug. 10 – 18
• Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: Aug. 8
• Election Day: Aug. 20

General election key dates

• Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to voters: Sept. 21
• Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters: Sept. 26 – Oct. 3
• Deadline to register to vote: Oct. 7
• Early voting period (mandatory period): Oct. 26 – Nov. 2
• Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: Oct. 24
• Election Day: Nov. 5

How to change your political party

Changing your political party is easy and doesn't require you to do any heavy lifting; you can do it from a computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection.

Just head over to the Online Voter Registration System and click on the big "Register or Update" button. You'll be asked your reason for application. Just select the "record update/change" option and you can follow the steps to change your party affiliation.

If you don't want to go through the process online, you can submit a Florida Voter Registration Application to the Supervisor of Elections.

Learn more about the process at www.leonvotes.gov.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Today is the last day you can register to vote in the Florida, local primary election