St. PETERSBURG— All Florida voters can make their voices heard in the November 8 midterm election, with early voting options starting in every Florida county on Saturday, Oct. 29 through Nov. 5.

Voters can cast a ballot in-person or by mail. Florida allows counties to begin in-person early voting as early as Monday, Oct. 24 and to extend it through Sunday, Nov. 6. Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties are permitted to keep early voting locations open through Tuesday, Nov. 8, to help ease the impacts of Hurricane Ian on voters.

“In a strong and healthy democracy, every voter’s voice is heard, and every voice counts equally,” said Amy Keith, Common Cause Florida’s program director. “Early voting improves access for all hardworking voters, especially for our home health workers, teachers, and service workers who can’t always make it to the polls on Election Day. We want to encourage everyone to vote early and all the way down the ballot this year so we all have a say in what happens in the Sunshine State.”

Voters who have questions or problems can contact the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

In Florida, early voting must be held in every county from Saturday, Oct. 29 through Saturday, Nov. 5. Voters can look up early voting locations, dates and times through their county elections office aquí.

Florida, unlike more than 20 other states and Washington D.C, does not allow same-day voter registration during the early voting period despite data that has shown it increases participation rates. That means only registered voters can take part in the Nov. 8 election.

This election will also be more complicated for voters, given the catastrophic damages some parts of the state experienced from Hurricane Ian just a few weeks before early voting starts statewide on Oct. 29. That comes on top of significant changes to election laws over the last two years that may make it more difficult for some people to vote. In addition, the recent redistricting process means that many voters may have new precincts and voting locations.

There is no deadline to update your voting address in Florida. Registered Florida voters can update their address at any early voting location in the county where they now live or at the Election Day polling place  for their new residence, Keith said. People displaced by the storm can also have their local supervisor of elections office send a vote-by-mail ballot to a temporary address where they are currently staying. 

Nationally, in 2020 the electorate broke early voting records with nearly 70% of voters casting a ballot by mail and/or before Election Day. Breaking that figure down, about 43% of voters cast ballots by mail, and another 26% voted in person ahead of Election Day. The 2020 election was the highest rate of nontraditional voting for a presidential election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Información para los votantes de las elecciones primarias de 2022 

Hay tres formas diferentes en que los votantes registrados de Florida pueden votar: by mail, in-person at early voting sites in their county, or in-person at their assigned polling location on Nov. 8, Election Day. 

Voters who have any questions about the voting process or encounter problems can contact the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. 

Aquellos que eligen vote by mail debe:

•  Request a vote-by-mail ballot  through their county Supervisor of Elections office.
• Sign the back of the ballot envelope.
•  Make sure the ballot is received by their county election office by 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 8 . (postmark date is not enough)

If there is a problem with the voter’s signature on their vote-by-mail ballot, the voter has until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10  to submit the paperwork to correct their signature. 

Note: Common Cause Florida recommends mailing in ballots at least 10 days in advance or dropping signed ballots off in Secure Ballot Intake Stations available at county elections offices and early voting sites during hours of operation. Voters can check to see if their ballots were received in the mail through rastreadores en línea proporcionado por la mayoría de las oficinas de supervisores electorales del condado.  

La gente también puede votar anticipadamente en persona en los sitios de votación anticipada del condado.

• Statewide early voting is between Saturday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 5, though some counties have early voting beginning Oct. 24 and running through Nov. 6 Voters can look up early voting locations, dates and times through their county elections office aquí.
• Voters can use any early voting site in their county to vote in-person or drop vote-by-mail ballots in Secure Ballot Intake Stations.
• Voters must provide a valid photo/signature ID to vote in-person in Florida during early voting or on election day. There are 12 acceptable forms of ID, with the list available aquí.

Aquellos que quieran vote in-person on Tuesday, Nov. 8El día de las elecciones debe:

• Traiga una identificación con fotografía y firma válida (no vencida).
• Votar en el distrito electoral correspondiente a su residencia actual. Los votantes pueden buscar sus distritos electorales aquí.
• Llegar a las urnas durante el horario de votación. Las urnas están abiertas de 7:00 a 19:00 horas.
• Cualquier votante que se encuentre en fila para votar a las 7 p. m. debe poder votar. 

Voters in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties can find information about voting changes in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian aquí. Common Cause Florida has also prepared a frequently asked questions document to support voters affected by Hurricane Ian.