Department of State
Room 316 RA Gray Building
500 South Bronough St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
Phone: 850-245-6200
Fax: 850-245-6217
Email: DOE@dos.STATE.FL.US
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/index.html
Registration Deadlines:
Wednesday, October 6, 2008
Election Dates:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 (Primary)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 (General Election)
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to vote in Florida you must be:
- A citizen of the United States
- A resident of Florida
- 18 years of age on or before the date of the next general election (January 29, 2008.)
- Not adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state
- Not convicted of a felony (and not had your civil rights restored)
ID Needed for Voter Registration
You must provide your current and valid Florida driver's license number, an ID number or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to register. If you have none of these numbers, you must write "NONE" on the voter registration form.
ID Needed for Voting
When you go to the polling place to vote, you will be asked to provide a current and valid picture identification with a signature.
To vote at the polls, you must provide picture identification that also shows a signature.
NOTE: The picture and signature do not have to be on the same document.
Registration Deadline
You can apply to register to vote at any time. However, to vote in an election, you must be registered in the state by the book closing date, which is normally the 29th day before each election.
Verify Voter Registration
To verify your voter registration status, please contact your supervisor of elections' office.
Absentee Ballot Process
All qualified voters are permitted to vote absentee under Florida law. The supervisor of elections' office may accept a request for an absentee ballot in person or in writing. Contact the office of your supervisor of elections' office to request an absentee ballot by mail no later than 5:00 pm on the sixth day before the election.
- When requesting an absentee ballot, whether by phone or by letter, you must provide your name, residence address, date of birth, driver's license number (if available,) and signature (if it is a written request.) Your request for an absentee ballot may be denied if you do not provide the required information. Specify the election(s) for which you wish to receive an absentee ballot and provide a mailing address.
- Check with your supervisor of elections if you need more information. A designee may pick up an absentee ballot for you on Election Day or up to four days before Election Day. A designee may only pick up two absentee ballots per election, other than his or her own ballot or ballots for members of his or her immediate family.
- Designees must have written authorization from the voter, present a picture ID and sign an affidavit. If you have obtained an absentee ballot but are able to vote in your precinct on Election Day, you must take the absentee ballot with you to the polls, whether or not it has been marked.
- However, if you are unable to return the ballot and vote in your precinct on Election Day, you may vote a provisional ballot.
- Once your absentee ballot is voted, you may either return it by fax or you may mail it to the supervisor of elections so that it is received no later than 7:00 pm on Election Day. Voted ballots returned by e-mail will not be accepted. Carefully follow the instructions sent to you with your absentee ballot to ensure that it is counted. You must be sure to not only sign, but date the absentee ballot envelope to ensure that your ballot is counted.
Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Early Voting
Early voting begins 15 days before an election and ends on the second day before the election. Early voting will be conducted 8 hours per day on each weekday during the early voting period and will be provided for 8 hours in the aggregate for each weekend during the period. Each supervisor of elections will designate the early voting sites 30 days prior to an election. (October 8, 2006.) For additional information on dates, times, and locations, please contact the office of your supervisor of elections' office.
Please remember to bring a photo and signature identification with you.
Polling Place Hours
The polling place hours will be from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Polling Place Locator
Provisional Voting
Provisional ballots are eligible if cast in the correct precinct.
Voting Machines
The voting systems used in Florida are optical scan and DRE.
Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.
Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.
There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.
Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show "pages." On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a "touch screen," where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.
You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.
Provisions for Voters with Disabilities
If you are unable to read or write or, because of a disability, needs assistance in voting, you may designate someone, other than an employer or an officer or agent of your union, to provide such assistance. Election officials may also provide assistance.
© Copyright
League of Women Voters of Tallahassee, Florida. All rights reserved.
![[LWV]](images/lwv76.gif)
