Candidates who dropped out of presidential election will be on Florida ballots, votes will still be counted

LARGO, Fla. - Just last month, Governor Ron DeSantis officially ended his run for the White House after the Iowa caucuses.

But, his name along with other candidates who are no longer actively campaigning for president will appear on Florida's presidential primary ballot in March, leaving many confused.

But, as Ashley McKnight-Taylor, communications director for Pinellas Co. Supervisor of Elections, explained to FOX 13, it's because Florida's deadline for removing names from the ballot has already come and gone.

"Florida law has a deadline for which candidates must officially withdraw in order to have their names removed from the ballot," McKnight-Taylor added. "That deadline was the middle of December. So, any candidates who withdrew or suspended their campaigns after that date will still appear on the ballot."

The candidates who will appear on the ballot are Ryan Binkley, Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump. Only three of them are still officially running.

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Which leaves many asking: Can we still vote for those candidates who dropped out?

The answer is yes - and they will still be counted.

"It absolutely still counts, and that's the beauty of it. Voters. That's their choice. They're allowed to come and have their voices be heard," McKnight-Taylor said.

If that person ends up winning? There's an official process for that, too. But, that's a rare instance.

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The voter registration deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 20, so if you need to register to vote to participate in this election, you need to do so by the end of the day.

In some counties, like Pinellas County - the presidential primary won’t be the only thing on the ballot March 19.

Local communities will pick their leaders in several important down-ballot races. 

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