Florida
Land Acknowledgement
Florida is the home of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida (Dania, Big Cypress, Brighton, Hollywood, and Tampa Reservations). It is also the traditional homeland of many tribes.
Overview
You can register to vote online, by mail, or in person. The deadline to register to vote is October 11.
Key Dates
October 11 - Deadline to register to vote
October 29 - Deadline to request an absentee ballot & Early voting begins
November 5 - Early voting closes
November 8 - Election Day
Contacts
Bureau of Voter Registration Services Voter Assistance Hotline: call (866) 308-6739 or email BVRSHelp@dos.myflorida.com
Florida Voting Guide
Note: The information below is not legal advice on how to vote. Because voting information is changing rapidly during this election, make sure you check the links provided and check with your state about deadlines and voting specifics.
Registering to Vote
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The deadline to register to vote is October 11.
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No.
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You must provide a current Florida driver's license or State ID number. If you do not have either, you may provide your Social Security Number. If you do not have any of these available, check "None" on your paper application. If you leave the field and box blank, your new registration may be denied. If you are registering by mail, have never voted in Florida, AND have never been issued one ID numbers above, include one of the following special ID with your application or at a later time before you vote. You can either provide a copy of an ID that shows your name and photo. Acceptable IDs include U.S. Passport, debit or credit card, military ID, student ID, retirement center ID, neighborhood association ID, or public assistance ID. You can also provide a copy of an ID that shows your name and current residence address. Acceptable documents include utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document. The special ID is not required if you are 65 or older, have a temporary or permanent physical disability, are a member of the active uniformed services or merchant marine who is absent from the country for active duty, or a spouse or dependent thereof, or are currently living outside the U.S. but otherwise eligible to vote in Florida.
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You must provide a residential address and a mailing address, if they are different. Your residential address may not be a P.O. box, rural box, or general delivery.
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You can contact your County Supervisor of Elections to get a valid address or check if you address is valid here.
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You can get a Florida driver's license or State ID from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle offices, which can be found here.
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Yes. You can register to vote online here. The Florida OVR application works best when using the latest version of a browser (e.g., Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 8.0 or higher, Opera 10 or higher, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox). You also have the option to submit voter registration information online when you renew your driver's license online through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' online renewal system. For more information, visit this site.
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No.
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Yes. You can register to vote in person at your County Supervisor of Elections office; a Florida driver's license office; a tax collector's office that issues driver's licenses or Florida ID cards; or a voter registration agency, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs. You can find a list of voter registration agencies here.
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Yes. You can download and print the voter registration application in English here or the application in Spanish here and mail it to your county Supervisor of Elections office. You can also pick up a voter registration form at any County Supervisor of Elections office, local library, or any entity authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to issue hunting or fishing licenses, complete the form and return it by mail to your County Supervisor of Elections office, which can be found here.
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In order to register to vote in Florida, you must not have been convicted of a felony or you must have your voting rights restored if you have been convicted of a felony. If you have been convicted of murder or felony sexual offense, your right to vote can only be restored through clemency. You can apply for clemency here or visit the Florida Commission on Offender Review website here. If you are convicted or have been convicted of any other felony offense, your voting rights are restored once you complete all terms of your sentence including parole or probation. For more information on restoring your right to vote, visit this site or contact your Supervisor of Elections office here.
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The voter registration deadline is October 11.
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Yes, under federal law you can assist someone in registering to vote if they do not speak English well, if they have trouble reading or writing, or if they have a disability.
Checking & Updating Voter Registration
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You can contact your County Supervisor of Elections office here or contact the Bureau of Voter Registration Services Voter Assistance Hotline at (866) 308-6739 or email BVRSHelp@dos.myflorida.com The hotline is available in English and Spanish.
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If you need to change your name or address on your voter registration, you must use either the online voter registration system or the paper form. Your updated registration must include your Florida driver's license number or Florida ID number, or the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. You can find the online voter registration here or the paper application in English here or in Spanish here. You can also call or submit an email of your address change to your County Supervisor of Elections, which can be found here. Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send emails to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
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You will not be removed from the voter roll if you did not vote in the last election. However, you may be removed from the voter roll for ineligibility reasons or after two general election cycles because of undeliverable mail and failure to respond to an address final confirmation notice. You can check your registration status here or contact your County Supervisor of Elections to verify that you are still registered to vote here.
Voting by Mail/Absentee/Ballot Drop-Off
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The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 29 by 5PM. Early voting begins October 29 and ends November 5. You do not need a reason to request an absentee ballot. Your absentee ballot does not need to be notarized or witnessed.
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Yes. Please check that you have filled out all required fields and signed your ballot. USPS recommends you mail in your ballot a week before the deadline to ensure your ballot is received on time. However, please factor in your personal experience with mail delivery times to and from your place of residence or where you drop off your ballot.
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You can request an absentee ballot in person, by mail, email, fax, or by phone. Only you or a designated member of your immediate family or legal guardian can request an absentee ballot for you. Immediate family means your spouse, parent, child, grandparent or sibling or a spouse's sibling. You can find your County Supervisor of Elections here. You must provide your name, address, date of birth, and signature (for written requests only). If an immediate family member or legal guardian is requesting an absentee ballot for you, that person must provide the above information about you as well as their name, their address, their driver's license number (if available), their relationship to you, and their signature (for written requests only).
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No.
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Yes.
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The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 29 by 5PM.
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Your County Supervisor of Elections will mail your ballot out within 2 business days after a request. The last day that ballots will be sent is October 31.
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You can have your ballot sent to your residence address or mailing address, if different, included on your voter registration information. You can check the correct address here or by contacting your County Supervisor of Elections here.
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It depends on your county whether your ballot will have a prepaid stamp. Contact your County Supervisor of Elections to confirm.
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Your ballot must be received by your County Supervisor of Elections no later than 7PM on Election Day. USPS recommends you mail in your absentee ballot one week prior to the state deadline, but you should mail in your ballot as soon as possible.
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Yes. You may drop off your absentee ballot off at your County Supervisor of Election office or early voting sites in secure drop boxes. Contact your County Supervisor of Elections or visit their website for the location of secure drop boxes in your county.
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A person may return up to two ballots per election cycle in addition to their own ballot or a ballot belonging to an immediate family member.
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No.
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No.
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Yes. Your County Supervisor of Elections is required by law to notify you if your ballot is not accepted, the reasons why it was not accepted, and to give you a chance to fix the issue. In some circumstances, you may be required to submit a Vote-By-Mail Ballot Cure Affidavit to fix the issue, which will look like this.
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Voting In-Person
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No.
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Yes. Early voting begins October 29 and ends November 5. The dates may vary by county. Contact your County Supervisor of Elections to confirm your early voting dates here.
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You must bring a valid photo ID with your signature. Acceptable forms include Florida driver's license or ID issues by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a U.S. Passport, debit or credit card, military ID, student ID, retirement center ID, neighborhood association ID, public assistance ID, veteran health ID issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm, or an employee ID card issued by the federal government, the state of Florida, or any county or municipality. If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature. If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote on a provisional ballot.
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You can get a Florida driver's license or State ID from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle offices, which can be found here.
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Yes. You may cast a provisional ballot in four situations: you lack an acceptable form of ID, your registration cannot be verified; the poll workers see that you requested vote-by-mail ballot and cannot verify that you did not submit it; or when the polling time is extended by court or other order. Provisional ballots are not issued to you if you are in the incorrect polling place. You will be directed to your correct polling place to vote. If the state issues a provisional ballot to you, you have by November 10 to present additional information that verifies your registration. If you cast a provisional ballot because you lacked acceptable ID, no further action is required. Your signature on your ballot will be compared to that in the registration rolls, and if they match then your ballot will be counted. If they do not match, you may still submit a Provisional Ballot Cure Affidavit. To complete a Provisional Ballot Cure Affidavit, visit this site. You must do this before 5PM by November 10.
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Yes. Under federal law (Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act), you are entitled to bring anyone you trust, such as a friend, family member, or neighbor, to the polling place AND into the polling booth to assist with voting. However, that person may not be your employer, running in the election, or a representative of your labor union. The person giving assistance also may not tell the voter how to vote.
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