This is a summary of the things you need to know to protect your vote and ensure you can access the ballot!

To vote in Florida, you need to register at least 29 days before election day. If you have a Florida driver license or Florida ID card, you can register online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov. If you do not have a Florida ID, check out our guide for detailed information about how to register.

Once you are registered, there are 3 different ways you can cast your ballot: (1) in-person on Election Day, (2) in-person at Early Voting, or (3) voting by mail. Keep reading to learn more about each of these ways to vote and more about your voting rights!

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Voting in-person on Election Day

• Polls are open from 7:00am to 7:00pm. If in line by 7:00pm, you have a right to vote.
• You must vote in the correct Precinct/Polling Location for your current residence. You can look up your precinct here.
• You must present valid (non-expired) photo and signature identification. You can use one ID for photo and another ID for signature, if necessary. If  you are using an ID that has an address on it, note that the address on the ID does not need to match the address on your voter registration.
• There are 12 acceptable forms of voter ID in Florida:
  • 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

If you recently moved within Florida, you can vote in the polling location for your NEW residence. You can change your address anytime by calling your county Supervisor of Elections office. In most cases, you can even change your address at the polls on Election Day if needed.

Early Voting (in-person)

• Early Voting dates, times and locations vary by county and by election. You can find the early voting information for your county on the Supervisor of Elections website.
• All counties have Early Voting (including Saturday and Sunday options) for elections that include statewide or federal races. However, many areas do not offer Early Voting for county or municipal elections.
• During Early Voting, voters can go to ANY Early Voting location in the county where they live. This makes Early Voting a great option if you recently moved.
• ID requirements for Early Voting are the same as for voting in-person on Election Day.

Voting by Mail

Any registered Florida voter can choose to vote by mail. No excuse is needed, but you do need to submit a request for a vote-by-mail ballot. If you request a vote-by-mail ballot, you can still decide to vote in person instead at Early Voting or on Election Day if you prefer.

Requesting a vote-by-mail (VBM) ballot:

• New vote-by-mail requests are required after each midterm and presidential election (each general election cycle).  
• A VBM ballot can be requested from your 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 mail or email using the Statewide Vote-by-Mail Request Form
  • Requesting in-person at one of the county’s Supervisor of Elections offices
• You’ll need to provide the following information in your request:
  1. name
  2. permanent home/residence address
  3. address where you want the ballot mailed (if different from your residence)
  4. date of birth
  5. Florida driver license or Florida ID card number and/or the last four digits of your social security number
  6. If submitting a written request, you must also include your signature
• Ballots are not forwarded, so it is important to have it sent to an address where you can currently receive mail.
• If you want your VBM ballot sent to an address that the Supervisor of Elections does not already have on file for you (e.g., an address other than your residence or your regular mailing address), you must submit a signed written request using the Statewide Vote-by-Mail Request Form.
• Voters with disabilities can request accessible vote by mail to receive a mail ballot that you can fill out with your preferred assistive technology.
• You must request your vote-by-mail ballot by 5:00 p.m. on the 12th day before Election Day if you want the ballot mailed to you. If you miss this deadline, you can still request a VBM ballot, but you will need to go pick it up from one of your county’s Supervisor of Elections offices and an emergency excuse affidavit may be required (we recommend you call ahead if you need to do this).

Voting a vote-by-mail ballot:

• You will receive your ballot about a month before Election Day (or a few days after your request it, if you request it less than a month before Election Day). You can track your ballot online to see when it was mailed to you.
• Read the materials that come with your ballot and follow all instructions.
• You must sign the mail ballot return envelope! We recommend you also include your phone number and/or email on the envelope so the Supervisor of Elections can contact you if there is a problem.
• You must return your mail ballot by 7:00pm on Election Day!
  • Mail it: We recommend to mail it at least 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 in your county. These are located at all Early Voting locations during early voting hours (some counties also have additional locations).
    • Have someone else drop it off for you: Voters can drop off ballots 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: You cannot drop off vote-by-mail ballots at your regular polling place on Election Day, but you can exchange it and vote in person instead.
• You can track your ballot to ensure it was received, either through the online tracking tool or by calling your Supervisor of Elections office.
• If there is a problem with your signature on your ballot envelope, you have until 5 p.m. on the second day after Election Day to submit the paperwork to correct your signature.

If you request a vote-by-mail ballot but do not receive it, you can contact your county Supervisor of Elections office for a replacement or you can vote in person instead at Early Voting or at your precinct on Election Day!

If you requested a vote-by-mail ballot but you want or need to vote in person on Election Day or during Early Voting instead, you can. Bring your vote-by-mail ballot to your polling place and give it to the poll worker. They will cancel your vote-by-mail ballot and give you an in-person ballot. If you don’t have your vote-by-mail ballot, tell the poll workers. They will check your information in the system and if the system confirms that you have not already submitted a vote-by-mail ballot, they will give you an in-person ballot so you can vote at the polling place.  If your status cannot be confirmed, you will be given the opportunity to vote a provisional ballot.

Additional Voting Rights

Language Access

• Voters who don’t speak English or who don’t read or write 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 is required to have an accessible voting system on election day and during early voting.
• Voters with disabilities have a right to accessible vote-by-mail, which enables people who are blind or print impaired to mark a secret, independent, and verifiable vote-by-mail ballot 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
• The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition has resources available for individuals with questions about eligibility due to a past conviction. Click here to download FRRC’s Voting Eligibility Checklist for Returning Citizens.
• The Campaign Legal Center has an interactive online tool at campaignlegal.org/restoreyourvote that allows returning citizens to assess their eligibility by answering a series of simple questions.

Military and Overseas Citizen Voters

• Military and Overseas Citizens can consult the Division of Elections site for more information about their voting options: https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/for-voters/voting/military-and-overseas-citizens-voting/
• Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP): https://www.fvap.gov/