The 3 Ways to Vote in Florida

To register to vote in Florida visit RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov

 

(1) Voting in-person on Election Day

  • Polls are open from 7:00am to 7:00pm. If in line by 7:00pm, the voter has a right to vote.
  • Voters must vote in the correct Precinct/Polling Location for their current residence. Voters can look up their precinct here.
  • Voters must present valid (non-expired) photo and signature identification. Voters can use one ID for photo and another ID for signature, if necessary. Address on ID does not need to match address on voter registration.
  • There are 12 acceptable forms of ID:
    • Florida driver license
    • Florida identification card issued by the Department of 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 from Department of Veterans Affairs
    • License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
    • Employee identification card issued by a government office or agency

(2) Early Voting (in-person)

  • Early Voting dates, times and locations vary by county and by election. Voters can find the early voting information for their county on the Supervisor of Elections website.
  • Voters can go to ANY Early Voting location in the county where they live.
  • ID requirements for Early Voting are the same as for voting in-person on Election Day.

(3) Voting by Mail

  • Any registered Florida voter can choose to vote by mail. No excuse is needed.
  • Voters who want to vote by mail must request a Vote-by-Mail (VBM) ballot. New requests are required after each midterm and presidential election (each federal general election cycle). All vote-by-mail requests expired after the November 2022 election. Voters who want to vote by mail in 2023-2024 must submit a new vote-by-mail ballot request. 
  • A VBM ballot can be requested from the county Supervisor of Elections office by:
    • Submitting an online application on the Supervisors of Elections’ website
    • Calling the Supervisor of Elections office and requesting over the phone
    • Submitting a written request to the Supervisor of Elections by email, fax or mail
    • Requesting in-person at one of the county’s Supervisor of Elections offices
  • To request a vote-by-mail ballot, voters need to provide (1) name, (2) permanent home address, (3) date of birth, and (4) Florida driver license/identification card number and/or the last four digits of their social security number. If submitting a vote-by-mail ballot request in writing, also include signature (photo or scan is ok).
  • There is no deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot. However, voters must request by 5:00 p.m. on the 10th day before Election Day if they want the ballot mailed to them. If the voter misses the 10-day deadline, they can still request a VBM ballot, but will need to go pick it up from one of the county’s Supervisor of Elections offices.
  • Voters can request a VBM ballot be sent to a different mailing address than their physical home address. VBM ballots are not forwarded, so it is important to have it sent to an address where the voter can currently receive mail.
  • Voters must sign the oath on the back of the mail ballot return envelope. Common Cause recommends that voters include their phone number and/or email on the envelope so that the Supervisor of Elections can contact them if there is a problem.
  • Voters must return their mail ballot by 7:00pm on Election Day.
    • Mail it: Recommended to mail it 10 days before Election Day so that it gets there in time. A postmark date is not enough.
    • Drop it off:
      • At any Supervisor of Elections office in the county during opening hours (including on Election Day from 7:00am-7:00pm)
      • At a secure ballot intake station, located at any Early Voting location during early voting hours (some counties also have additional locations)
      • Have someone else drop it off: Voters can drop off for immediate family members and 2 additional people per election. Immediate Family includes spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse’s parent, spouse’s child, spouse’s grandparent, spouse’s grandchild, or spouse’s sibling.
      • Note: Voters cannot drop off VBM ballots at their regular polling location on Election Day, but they can exchange it and vote in person instead.
  • Voters can track their VBM ballot to ensure it was received, either through the online tracking tool on the Supervisor of Elections website or by calling the Supervisor of Elections office.
  • If there is a problem with the voter’s signature on their vote-by-mail ballot, the voter has until 5 p.m. on the second day after Election Day to submit the paperwork to correct their signature.
  • If a voter requested a VBM ballot, they can decide to vote in person instead. They can exchange their VBM ballot for an in-person ballot at Early Voting or at their precinct on Election Day.
  • If a voter requested a VBM ballot but did not receive it, they can contact their county Supervisor of Elections office for a replacement or they can vote in person instead at Early Voting or at their precinct polling place on Election Day.

Additional Voting Rights

Language Access

  • Voters who don’t speak English or who have limited literacy have a right to receive assistance from anyone the voter chooses, as long as it is not their employer or union representative. This goes for in person voting and voting by mail.
  • All counties in Florida are required to provide Spanish-language ballots.
  • Many counties are required by law to also provide voting materials and information in Spanish (and Miami-Dade is required to provide in both Spanish and Haitian Creole).

Disability Access

  • Voters with disabilities have a right have a right to receive assistance from anyone the voter chooses, as long as it is not their employer or union representative. This goes for in-person voting and voting by mail.
  • Voters with disabilities have a right to vote privately and independently on an accessible marking device at the polls. Every polling location required to have an accessible voting system on election day and during early voting.
  • Voters with disabilities have a right to accessible voting by mail, which enables people who are blind or print impaired to mark secret, independent, and verifiable vote-by-mail ballots using a computer. Contact the Supervisor of Elections office to request remote accessible vote-by-mail.
  • Disability Rights Florida hotline: 877-352-7337

Returning Citizens

  • Returning Citizens can register and vote in Florida if they meet the following criteria:
    • Convicted of an offense other than murder or sex crimes
    • Have completed their full sentence (including jail or prison time, parole, probation, and other forms of supervision)
    • No outstanding financial obligations (fees, fines, costs or restitution) that were part of their sentence
  • Florida Rights Restoration Coalition hotline: 877-MYVOTE-0

Military and Overseas Citizen Voters

See More: Voting RightsElection ProtectionVoting & Elections