Vote 2012

This year is going to be an exciting year in the Elections arena. There will be three elections in 2012, including one that will decide who will be elected President of the United States.

We start off with the Presidential Preference Primary on Jan. 31, 2012. Only registered Republicans can vote in this primary election. Registered Republican voters in Osceola County will vote for the one person they want to run against President Barack Obama. There is not a preference primary for Democrats as President Obama is the Democratic candidate.

Whomever wins the Presidential Preference Primary will challenge President Obama in the Nov. 6, 2012 General Election.

There is another election in between those two though. The Primary Election will be held on Aug. 14, 2012. The Primary is where challenged candidates face off to see who will meet up in the November General Election.

Your vote lets your voice be heard on issues and races that directly impact your life, such as increased taxes, funding for schools and roads and the elected officials you chose to make decisions for you at different levels of government.


There are three ways you can vote in the 2012 elections! You can Early Vote, you can Vote by Mail, or you can vote at the polls on Election Day. “We want to make it as easy as possible for our registered voters to cast their ballots,’’ said Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington.

“We are encouraging people to sign up to Vote by Mail via absentee ballot. That allows you to vote from the comfort of your own home when it is convenient for you.’’You can request an absentee ballot by calling our office at 407.742.6000 or by visiting our web site at www.voteosceola.com.

You can print out the request form and either fax it back to us at 407.742.6001 or you can mail the form to us at 2509 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, FL, 34744. You may also send us an e-mail request at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or we can now take your request over the phone.

Supervisor Arrington said there seems to be a misconception that Voting by Mail with an absentee ballot is something that can only be done if you are going to be out of town on Election Day.

“That is not the case at all,’’ Arrington said. “Voting by Mail is for anyone who would prefer not to go to the polls on Election Day or visit one of our Early Voting sites. We want to make the election process as easy as we can.

’’Before any election it is also important that all your information is up to date.Has your address changed? Has your name changed? Is your signature up to date? Over the years, a person’s signature can change. Our election workers need to be able to match the signature on your ID to the signature we have on file for you in the computer system.You can update your information by filling out a new registration form and marking the appropriate box. Forms are available at our office and can also be printed out from our web site, www.voteosceola.com. You can mail the application back or drop it by our office.