Florida Voter Guide

This guide is available in other languages: Español · Kreyòl ayisyen

When you cast your ballot, you will contribute to the centuries-old struggle for justice and equality in the U.S. and push forward for representation and policy that reflects your needs and interests. Through the “Our Future, Our Vote” initiative, the Southern Poverty Law Center is committed to ensuring you can do so.

This voting guide for the state of Florida includes information on how to manage changes to state law and provides resources for more help if you need it.

In this Guide

• Key Dates
• Before Election Day
• Election Day
• Voting If You Have Been Impacted by the Justice System
• Know Your Rights

Before Election Day

Who can register to vote?

Every U.S. citizen with the following qualifications is eligible to register to vote in Florida:

• A Florida resident.
• At least 18 years old (You may pre-register to vote if you are 16).
• Not have been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having the right to vote restored.
• Not have been convicted of a felony or qualify to have your voting rights restored. 
• A lawful permanent resident, commonly referred to as a "green card holder," does not have the right to register or vote in Florida.

How do I register to vote?

Register to vote by Tuesday, Oct. 11 (whether in person or by mail) for the Nov. 8 general election.

You can register online using this form.

• Electronic/Online Voter Registration Application

If you do not wish to register online, voter registration application forms can be prefilled using these forms:

• Fillable PDF: 
  • English
  • Spanish

But you will have to print, sign and then mail or deliver your completed voter registration application to your county Supervisor of Elections’ office.

You can also visit any of the following locations and apply to register in person:

• Any Supervisor of Elections’ office (by mail or in-person).
• A Florida driver license office (You also have the option to submit voter registration information online when you renew your driver license online through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ online renewal system.).
• A tax collector's office that issues Florida driver licenses or Florida identification cards,
• Any voter registration agency such as a public assistance or military recruitment office. (For more information about who these agencies are, visit Florida’s National Voter Registration Act webpage.)
• A public library.

While some locations will submit your completed and signed application for you, you may also mail or deliver your completed and signed voter registration application to your county Supervisor of Elections’ office.

You can also register to vote through a third-party voter registration organization (3PVRO). You can find more information about 3PVROs here.

Can I vote early?

Early voting is required in any election with a state or federal office race. For the Nov. 8 general election, the mandatory early voting period is from Oct. 29-Nov. 5.

In addition, supervisors of elections have the option to offer more early voting on the 15th, 14th, 13th, 12th, 11th, or 2nd day before an election.  

Supervisors of Elections must designate early voting sites no later than 30 days before an election. Early voting hours must be at least 8 hours but no more than 12 hours per day at each site during the applicable period. The Supervisor of Elections may provide early voting for elections that are not held in conjunction with a state or federal election. However, the supervisor has the option to determine the early voting hours for those site(s).

Voters who want to vote early should present the following at the early voting site:

• A valid photo identification
• A signature identification

Voters can vote at any early voting site within the county when the site is open. Find more information here.

Can I vote by mail or by absentee ballot?

Florida allows any registered voter to vote by mail or by absentee ballot, regardless of reason. A vote-by-mail ballot refers to a ballot that you request and pick up or have delivered to you without having to vote at the polls during early voting or on Election Day. 

A voter can pick up their vote-by-mail ballot at any time once the ballot becomes available, including Election Day. The deadline to request that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5 p.m. on the 10th day before the election. A request to receive a vote-by-mail ballot covers all elections through the end of the calendar year for the next ensuing regularly scheduled general election unless otherwise indicated to specifically apply to certain elections only within such period. A vote-by-mail ballot cannot be forwarded to an address other than to the address requested.

A voter can designate a person to pick up their ballot, but a designee is limited to picking up vote-by-mail ballots for two other voters per election (not including their own ballot and the ballots for immediate family members). An immediate family member refers to the designee's spouse or the parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the designee or of the designee's spouse. The designee can pick up the ballot no earlier than 9 days before Election Day. 

The designee must submit an affidavit to pick up the voter’s blank ballot. See Form DS-DE 37 (English PDF / Español PDF).

A vote-by-mail ballot can be returned by mail, delivered in person or brought to secure ballot intake stations throughout the state. 

A returned voted ballot must be received, regardless of postmark, by the Supervisor of Elections’ office no later than 7 p.m. (local time) on Election Day. A 10-day extension exists for overseas voters only for presidential preference primary and general elections, provided the ballot is postmarked or dated by Election Day. 

Any voter who has requested a vote-by-mail ballot can track online the status of the ballot through the county Supervisor of Elections website or access the county-specific link on our webpage Vote-by-Mail Ballot Information and Status Lookup. The U.S. Postal Service also provides a free service (register online) called Informed Delivery that allows a voter to see in advance a digital image of the address side of certain mail pieces such as a requested vote-by-mail ballot that will arrive at the voter’s mailing address.

Find more information here.

Election Day

When do I vote?

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (local time) on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022. Any registered voter standing in line at 7 p.m. on Election Day will have the opportunity to cast a ballot.   

Where do I vote?

For the most current information about your precinct or polling location, visit your Supervisor of Elections’ website or contact the office. Contact information is here.

You can also find your precinct within your county by selecting your county listed.

When should I use a provisional ballot?

You have the right to cast a provisional ballot if a poll worker tells you they cannot establish your eligibility to vote (e.g., your name does not appear on their voter registration list, not having proper identification, not being at the correct polling place on Election Day), but you believe you registered and are eligible to vote. The poll worker should offer you the opportunity to vote by provisional ballot, but, if they do not, you have a legal right to request one. The Help America Vote Act, a federal law, guarantees all voters the right to vote by provisional ballot. Before completing your provisional ballot, be sure to verify with the poll manager that you are in the correct polling place, even if you are not listed in the poll book.

In Florida, voters who vote a provisional ballot do not scan their ballots into the vote tabulation machine. Instead, provisional ballots are placed in secure envelopes to be delivered to the Supervisor of Elections office for further processing. As long as you are eligible and voted in the proper precinct, your provisional ballot will count provided the signature on your provisional ballot matches the signature in your registration record.

When you vote provisionally, you will be given a written notice of rights. You have up until 5 p.m. (local time) on Nov. 10 to present further evidence of your eligibility. (See section 101.048, F.S.) Your Notice of Rights will include instructions on how to find out if your provisional ballot was counted, and if not, the reason(s) why. You should be able to get this information no later than 30 days following the election. (Sections 101.048, Fla. Stat.) Contact information is here.

Voting If You Have Been Impacted by the Justice System

Can I vote from jail?

Florida law allows eligible voters in jail to vote. However, voting from jail in Florida varies based on several factors, including each institution’s policies and procedures, processes determined by the local county supervisor of elections, and the availability of volunteers and resources.

This information is not a substitute for legal advice. Please consult an attorney to address your specific eligibility before registering to vote. 

Can I vote if I am a returning citizen?

A “returning citizen” is a person who has a criminal history. Even if you have a criminal record, you may be able to register to vote in Florida. A felony conviction in Florida for murder or a sexual offense makes a person ineligible to vote in Florida unless and until the person’s right to vote is restored by the State Clemency Board. For any other felony conviction in Florida, a person is eligible to register and vote if the person has completed all terms of his or her sentence. Completion of the sentence means:

• Prison or jail time.
• Parole, probation or other forms of supervision.
• Payment of the total amount of all fines, fees, costs and restitution ordered as part of the felony sentence.

A felony conviction in another state makes a person ineligible to vote in Florida only if the conviction would make the person ineligible to vote in the state where the person was convicted. An offense on which a person was not adjudicated guilty does not make a person ineligible to vote. A misdemeanor conviction does not make a person ineligible to vote.

The eligibility requirements to restore voting rights are fully provided in the Florida Constitution and Florida Statutes. See specifically, section 4, Article VI, Fla. Const., and section 98.0751, Fla. Stat. Find more information here.

This information is not a substitute for legal advice. Please consult an attorney to check your specific eligibility before registering to vote. 

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition may provide referrals to free legal assistance or have funds to help pay your fines, fees, costs and restitution. You can contact FRRC by calling 407-901-3749 or emailing info@floridarrc.org. If you need help asserting your rights, the League of Women Voters of Florida can provide free legal assistance. Call them at 407-710-5496 or email canivote@lwvfl.org.

In addition, according to Section 208 of the federal Voting Rights Act, “Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer or agent of that employer or officer or agent of the voter's union.” This federal law applies to all elections in all states and supersedes any state law. No proof of disability, illiteracy, or limited English proficiency is required.

If you need assistance to vote because of a disability you have several options:

• Receive personal help at the polls during early voting or on Election Day. You do not have to reveal the nature or extent of your disability. You can choose anyone to help you except your employer or an agency of your employer or an officer or agency of your union. You can alternatively get the help of two members of the Supervisor of Elections staff. See section 101.051, Florida Statutes. You will have to fill out a declaration affirming that you need help unless you wrote on your voter registration application that you would need assistance at the polls. The clerk can help you fill out the form. In addition, the person you choose to help you will have to fill out a declaration (unless that person is election staff) saying he or she will provide help. If you have any questions about receiving help in voting, please ask the clerk or inspector at the polling place.
• Vote on an accessible marking device at the polls. Voting on an accessible marking device allows you to vote with little or no assistance and in secret. Federal and state laws require at least one accessible voting system to be in each polling place. Florida has certified accessible voting systems for use by persons with disabilities. The systems meet at least 12 major categories of accessibility standards. See 52 U.S.C. § 21081 (a)(3) of the Help America Vote Act and section 101.56062, Florida Statutes.
• Vote-by-mail from your home. In addition, you can have anyone, other than your employer, agent of your employer or an officer or agent of your union, mark the choices for you or have the person assist you in marking your choices on the ballot. See section 101.661, Florida Statutes. 
• Participate in supervised voting, if made available at your assisted living or nursing home facility. See section 101.655, Florida Statutes. You can also request that your vote-by-mail ballot be sent to you there.
• Receive a vote-by-mail ballot through an electronic ballot delivery and marking system, if available in your county. Such a system allows a person with disabilities to receive a ballot electronically upon request. The voter then has the option to print the ballot for manual or electronic marking, with or without compatible assistive devices or software. A voted ballot may only be returned in person or by mail. Voted ballots cannot be returned electronically.

Find more information on the Accessible Voting for Persons with Disabilities section of Florida’s Department of State website.

If you have any issue with voting or registering to vote because of a disability, please contact the Disability Rights Florida Voting Rights Hotline at 1-800-342-0823 extension 6000 or use this contact form.

Are voting materials available in languages other than English?

By law, Florida provides language assistance and translation of election-related materials in Spanish pursuant to the Voting Rights Act.

• Spanish assistance is available through the statewide voter assistance and voter hotlines.
• Information is available on the Division of Elections’ website. Statewide-issued or-produced materials are translated. They include the online voter registration system, the statewide voter registration application form (DS-DE 39) and the Florida Voter Registration and Voting Guide.
• All counties in Florida are subject to language requirements under the Voting Rights Act including but not limited to 52 U.S.C. § 10303 (language assistance to persons who were educated in Spanish in American-flag schools in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico) and 52 U.S.C. § 10508 (assistance in voting-by-mail or at the polls for persons with blindness, disability or other inability to read or write or limited English proficiency).
• The following 14 Florida counties are specifically subject to Spanish language requirements under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act. (52 U.S.C. § 10503) and Census Bureau determination. They must provide oral and written assistance and election-related materials such as instructions, forms, ballots and notices:
  • Broward
  • DeSoto
  • Glades
  • Hardee
  • Hendry
  • Hillsborough
  • Lee
  • Miami-Dade
  • Orange
  • Osceola
  • Palm Beach
  • Pinellas
  • Polk
  • Seminole

  Note: Collier County is required to provide bilingual election materials for the Seminole language.

  If any voting materials across the state of Florida are not available in the Spanish language (or in the Seminole language in Collier County), please call one of the Election Protection hotlines:

  • On Election Day - The Election Protection hotlines:
    • 866-OUR-VOTE (English)
    • 888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish/ English)
    • 888-API-VOTE (Asian languages/ English)
    • 844-YALLA-US (Arabic/ English)

  Before Election Day – Contact your county Supervisor of Elections office to inform them of the language access issue.

  And remember, if you need assistance in voting because you have trouble reading or writing in English, you may receive assistance from a person of your choice. (See “What if I would like assistance to vote?” above.)

  What if I witness or experience voter intimidation?

  Voter intimidation is conduct intended to compel prospective voters to vote against their preferences, or to not vote at all, through activity that is reasonably calculated to instill fear.

  Federal law expressly prohibits voter intimidation. The following conduct near polling places is likely illegal voter intimidation:

  • Violent behavior or verbal threats inside or outside the polling place.
  • Confronting voters while wearing military-style or official-looking uniforms.
  • Displaying firearms.
  • Disrupting voting lines or blocking the entrance to the polling place.
  • Following voters to, from, or within the polling place.
  • Spreading false information about voter fraud, voting requirements, or related criminal penalties.
  • Aggressively approaching voters’ vehicles or writing down voters’ license plate numbers.
  • Harassing voters, including aggressively questioning them about their qualifications to vote.

  Provisions exist in Florida law, including not limited to, for felony offenses for deprivation of or interference with voting (Section 104.0515, Fla. Stat.), intimidation and suppression (Section 104.0615, Fla. Stat.), influencing or interfering with voting (Section 104.061, Fla. Stat.), threatening to control votes of employees (Section 104.081, Fla. Stat.).

  

  If you see or experience voter intimidation, you should notify the poll managers at the affected polling place; document what happened and whether any voters were deterred from voting; and call Election Protection hotlines listed below.

  What if I have further questions or experience any problems while trying to vote?

  You may call the Election Protection hotlines:

  • 866-OUR-VOTE (English)
  • 888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish/English)
  • 888-API-VOTE (Asian languages/English)
  • 844-YALLA-US (Arabic/ English)

  For more information on voting, visit Florida’s Division of Elections.

Tell Us Your Voting Story

We want to hear what you experienced with registering, verifying or changing your information, absentee ballots, voting, or any other situation you’ve encountered while trying to participate in your local, state, or federal elections. Share your story:

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Illustrations by Elias Stein