RESOURCES FOR FLORIDA VOTERS
VOTER REGISTRATION IN FLORIDA
To register to vote in Florida, you must:
- Be a Citizen of the United States of America (A lawful permanent resident, commonly referred to as a "green card holder," does not have the right to register or vote in Florida);
- Be a Florida resident;
- Be at least 18 years old (You may pre-register to vote if you are 16 years old);
- Not have been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having the right to vote restored;
- Not have been convicted of a felony without your civil rights having been restored.
You can apply to register to vote in any of the following ways:
If you are already registered to vote in Florida but you need to update any information on your voter registration record, you can use any of the options available under “How Can I Register to Vote?” to submit a change to your existing voter registration record. You can also submit a change-of-address by contacting your county supervisor of elections office by phone or email.
If an address, name or political party change is made, your Supervisor of Elections will mail you an updated voter information card. Once you receive the card, make sure all of the information is correct. If you have any questions, contact your county Supervisor of Elections office.
Voter Registration Deadlines
The deadline to register to vote for an upcoming election is 29 days before the election.
The deadline to change parties before a primary election is 29 days before the day of the primary election.
For information on voter registration deadlines for upcoming elections, please visit Florida's Election Dates webpage.
IN-PERSON VOTING IN FLORIDA
Early Voting Locations and Times
- Early voting locations and times for special primary and special general elections can be found on our Special Elections webpage.
- Early voting locations and times for local and municipal elections can be found by contacting your local county Supervisor of Elections.
How to Early Vote
Voters who want to vote early should present the following at the early voting site:
- a valid photo identification; and
- a signature identification.
Voters can vote at any early voting site within the county when the site is open.
Whether during early voting or on Election Day, you will be asked to provide at the polls a valid photo ID with signature. Any one of the following photo IDs will be accepted:
- Florida driver’s license
- Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
- United States passport
- Debit or credit card
- Military identification
- Student identification
- Retirement center identification
- Neighborhood association identification
- Public assistance identification
- Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
- Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality.
If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.
If you do not bring proper ID, you can still vote a provisional ballot. As long as you are eligible and voted in the proper precinct, your provisional ballot will count provided the signature on your provisional ballot matches the signature in your registration record.
If you do not know where your polling place is, contact your county Supervisor of Elections. You can also find your precinct and polling place on your county Supervisor of Elections' website or by using the Check Your Voter Status webpage.
The polls are open on Election Day, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Any voters waiting in line at 7:00 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot.
VOTE BY MAIL IN FLORIDA
A request for a vote-by-mail ballot may be made in one of the following ways:
- Online application on your county Supervisors of Elections' website
- In writing (e.g., by email, fax, mail) to Supervisor of Elections
- In person at Supervisor of Elections
- By telephone call to Supervisor of Elections
If you are making the request, the following information is required:
- The name of the voter for whom the ballot is being requested;
- The voter’s address;
- The voter’s date of birth; and
- The voter’s signature (if the request is written).
If an immediate family member or legal guardian is requesting a vote-by-mail ballot for you, the following additional information must be provided:
- The requestor’s address;
- The requestor’s driver’s license number (if available);
- The requestor’s relationship to the voter; and
- The requestor’s signature (if the request is written).
The deadline to request that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5 p.m. on the 6th day before the election. Otherwise, a vote-by-mail ballot can be picked-up until and including on Election Day. However, the ballot must still be received by the Supervisor of Elections no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day if the voted ballot is to count.
A voter can pick up or have delivered his or her own vote-by-mail ballot at any time the ballot becomes available, including up to 7 p.m. on Election Day. A voter can also authorize in writing a designee to pick up the ballot for him or her but the earliest the designee can then pick up the ballot is five days before Election Day. A designee is limited to picking up two vote-by-mail ballots per elections (not including his or her own ballot and ballots for immediate family members. Additionally, a designee must submit a completed Affidavit to Pick-up a Vote-by-Mail Ballot for a Voter (DS-DE 37 - English PDF/ Español PDF), which includes the written authorization from the Voter. If there is no request on record, the voter will also have to submit the request part of the Affidavit.
If a voter or designee waits until Election Day to pick up or have delivered a vote-by-mail ballot, the Election Day Vote-by-Mail Ballot Delivery Affidavit (DS-DE 136 - English PDF/ Español PDF) must also be completed in which the voter affirms that he or she has as an emergency that keeps the voter from being able to go his or her assigned polling place instead to vote.
Instructions for completing the vote-by-mail ballot are included with the ballot. The voted ballot must be returned and received by the Supervisor of Elections no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. Other return options are available for Military and Overseas Voters.
If the voter decides to go to the polls to vote instead, the voter should bring the vote-by-mail ballot (whether it has been marked or not). Even if the voter comes to the polls without the vote-by-mail ballot, the voter will still be able to vote a regular ballot if the supervisor of elections' office is able to confirm that it has not received the voter's vote-by-mail ballot. However, if it is confirmed that the voter has already voted a vote-by-mail ballot, the voter cannot vote again at the polls. If the voter believes or insists that the supervisor of elections' office is wrong about receiving the vote-by-mail ballot or if the supervisor of elections' office cannot confirm that the voter has already voted a vote-by-mail ballot, the voter is allowed to vote a provisional ballot.
Any voter who has requested a vote-by-mail ballot can track online the status of his or her ballot through a link within the Division of Elections' Check your Voter Status website or through their county Supervisor of Elections' website.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Prior to engaging in any voter registration activities, a "Third Party Voter Registration Organizations" must register with the Florida Division of Elections and be assigned an ID # before conducting voter registration activities.
Please visit the Florida Division of Elections website on Third Party Voter Registration Organizations before continuing.
Visit the Florida Commission on Offender Review to review the instructions and submit an application for Restoration of Civil Rights.
Check out the resources available for individuals, groups, nonprofits, etc. around voter registration, voting, and engagement.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge strives for a more inclusive democracy—one in which all voices are heard. We envision a country in which the electorate mirrors our country’s makeup and college students are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls. Check out their website here.
