When do polls open on election day?
Polls on Election Day are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. (local time). Florida has two time-zones – Central and Eastern. Any voter who is standing in line at 7 p.m. (local time) in their county is still eligible to cast a vote. For more information on Election Day voting, click here.
Where’s my precinct or polling location? What if my polling location changes?
To find your precinct or polling location online, or for the most current information about polling place changes, click here.
Where are early voting locations? When is early voting?
For more information about locations, dates and times, please visit Gadsden County’s Office of Elections’ page, click here.
Any voter who is standing in line at the scheduled close of early voting (local time) is still eligible to cast a vote.
What do I bring with me to vote? What form of photo ID do I need?
You will need to bring a current and valid photo identification with a signature. Approved forms of photo identification are:
- Florida driver’s license
- Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and 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 issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to s. 790.06
- Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality (Section 101.043, F.S.).
If the photo identification does not have a signature, you must provide additional identification with your signature.
A voter information card is not an acceptable form of ID. Your card is a good source of information about your voter registration including your assigned precinct and polling location for Election Day.
Can I still vote if I do not bring identification?
Yes, you will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.
What happens if someone challenges my eligibility to vote at the polls?
A voter can be challenged for a number of reasons.
If you are challenged at the polls, you still have the right to vote a provisional ballot.
If you are challenged because of your address, you may still be able to vote a regular ballot if your new address corresponds to the same precinct. If your new address falls within another precinct, the poll worker will direct you to the proper precinct.
What else do I have to do if I vote a provisional ballot?
When you vote provisionally, you will be given a written notice of rights. You have up until 5 PM (local time) on the second day after the election to present further evidence of your eligibility. (See section 101.048, F.S.)
If you voted a provisional ballot solely because you did not have an acceptable photo and signature identification, you do not need to provide further evidence of your eligibility in order for your ballot to count, provided you are otherwise eligible and qualified to vote.
The local canvassing board will compare your signature on the provisional ballot certificate with the signature in your voter registration record. If the signatures match, your provisional ballot will be counted, provided you are otherwise eligible. If your signature is missing from the ballot certificate or does not match, the Supervisor of Elections’ office will attempt to contact you, as soon as practicable with the available contact information in your records, so you can cure the defect. You will need to submit to the Supervisor of Elections a completed DS-DE 210 – Provisional Ballot Cure Affidavit (English PDF /Español PDF) no later than 5 PM (local time) with requisite identification on the second day after the election.
How do I find out if my provisional ballot was counted?
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.)
How do I request and vote a vote-by-mail ballot (formerly known as absentee ballot)?
For information on how to request a ballot, how to vote a ballot, where to return a ballot, and other information, click here.
I have changed my mind – can I vote in person even though I requested a ballot?
Yes. However, depending on whether you already returned your ballot and if the supervisor of elections’ office has received your ballot, you may vote either a regular ballot or a provisional ballot. Visit Vote-by-Mail for information on How to Vote in Person if You Already Requested a Ballot.
How can I be sure that my vote-by-mail ballot will count?
Keep your vote registration record current and up to date including your signature which is used to compare against a signature on a ballot certificate. In order to find that signatures do not match between a ballot certificate and a voter registration record, the canvassing board must make such determination by a majority vote and beyond a reasonable doubt.
Follow carefully the instructions that come with the ballot and envelope and remember to sign your envelope.
Track the return of your ballot in advance of Election Day to ensure that your ballot has been received. You can track online your vote-by-mail ballot request and ballot. Any voter who has requested a vote-by-mail ballot can track online the status of his or her ballot from the date of request by visiting Gadsden County’s Office of Elections’ Vote-by-Mail page for information.
What should a voter do if intimidated or threatened by text, phone, email, or in person?
Provisions exist in 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.). Contact immediately your local law enforcement, Supervisor of Elections Shirley Green Knight at info@gadsdensoe.com, and/or the Division of Elections (and file an election fraud complaint).
Can I vote if I am a convicted felon?
In order to register to vote and/or vote in Florida, you must not be convicted of a felony or if you have, you must have had your voting rights restored.
If convicted of murder or felony sexual offense, voting rights in Florida can only be restored through clemency pursuant to section 8, Art. V of the Florida Constitution. To apply for clemency, search for grant of clemency and certificates, and/or find out more information about clemency, visit the website for the Florida Commission on Offender Review.
If convicted of any other felony offense, voting rights are restored upon completion of all terms of a sentence including parole or probation pursuant to section 4., Art. VI of the Florida Constitution. Such convicted felon may alternatively apply for clemency to restore voting rights.
For more information, please refer to specific questions on our web page entitled Amendment 4: Standards Governing Eligibility to Vote After a Felony Conviction.
Can I vote if I am a lawful permanent resident?
No. Only U.S. citizens can register or vote in Florida. Although a lawful permanent resident (commonly referred to as a “green card holder”) has the right to live and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis, he or she cannot register or vote.
Can I vote if I have dual citizenship?
Yes, as long as you have U.S. citizenship and are otherwise properly registered and eligible to vote, you can vote.
If I am a victim of violence, how can I vote and still keep my address and other identifying information confidential?
Florida has a program though the Florida Attorney General’s Office that allows victims of actual or threatened domestic violence or stalking, to register for address confidentiality and other identifying information. The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) will provide a participant with a certificate/authorization form and a substitute address through which you can receive mail. To find out more details or how to apply, please contact the Division of Crime Victims’ Services for details at: 850-414-3330.
Once registered as an ACP participant, the person can register to vote or if already registered to vote, to obtain continuing address confidentiality as a registered voter. The ACP participant must provide the ACP certificate/authorization form to the county Supervisor of Elections’ office. If the ACP participant is a new registered voter, the application will be processed manually in such a way that your voter registration information and record (which is otherwise public record) will not be disclosed or released to the public in any way. If the ACP participant is already a registered voter, the voter registration information and record will be removed from any publicly disclosed or available list. Only your Supervisor of Elections’ will know your true address in order to assign you to the proper precinct. Your Supervisor of Elections will send your vote-by-mail ballot to you via the Attorney General’s ACP program and they will forward you the ballot using the substitute address that the ACP gave you. You do not and should not go to the polls to vote.
What are primaries?
The state of Florida has a closed primary system, which means voters may only cast their ballot for the party in which they are registered. Primary elections give voters the opportunity to decide who from a pool of candidates should ultimately be nominated from their political party to run in the general election.