Early voting in Florida has begun. Here’s what you need to know
Early voting for Florida’s Aug. 20 primary election opened Monday in MiamiDade and Monroe counties and will start Saturday in Broward.
WHO CAN VOTE?
As Florida has a closed primary, only registered voters with a party affiliation may vote for candidates from that party. That means Democrats vote in Democratic primaries and Republicans vote in Republican primaries. This includes races for Congress, the state legislature, countywide sheriff races and other contests.
In non-partisan races, anyone can vote, including voters not registered with a political party. Non-partisan races include elections for judges, county commissioners, school boards, community councils and MiamiDade mayor.
Where to vote? Miami-Dade County has 23 locations where voters can cast their ballots through Aug. 18. This week5, those sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. During the week of Aug. 12, weekday hours will be from 11 a.m to 7 p.m.
Weekend hours will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for both weekends. If you’re concerned about waiting in line, wait times are updated online.
In Broward County, early voting begins Saturday and runs through Aug. 18. There are 28 locations for early voting. Those spots will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Monroe County has five locations for early voting. They wil be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Aug. 18.
During early voting, voters can vote at any open polling location in their county. If voters vote on Aug. 20, the actual Election Day for the primary, they must vote in the precinct and voting location listed on their Voter Information Card.
WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO BRING?
Voters must bring a current and valid photo ID.
The ID must contain a signature. Examples of valid IDs include a driver’s license or passport.
WHAT IF I’M NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE?
The deadline to register to vote for the Aug. 20 primary closed on July 22. That means you cannot vote in the Aug. 20 primary if you did not register by then.
Voter registration for the Nov. 5 general election closes Oct. 7 for vote-bymail ballots, early voting and in-person voting. People can register to vote online at RegisterToVote Florida.gov.
For the online application, registrants will need their Florida driver’s license or Florida identification card issued by the Florida Department of Highway
Safety and Motor Vehicles, the issued date of their chosen ID and the last four digits of their Social Security number.
Residents can also register to vote in person at a Florida driver’s license office, a tax collector’s office that issues driver’s licenses or ID cards or a voter-registration agency.
Registration by mail or in person requires a voterregistration form (DS-DE 39), which is available in English, Spanish and Creole.
VOTING ON AUG. 20
For those planning to vote on Tuesday, Aug. 20, polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can check their precinct online at the Florida Division of Elections. The required documentation is the same for Election Day voting and early voting.
Remember, you must vote at the precinct and voting location listed on your Voter Information Card if you are voting on Election Day.
Even without an ID that meets the requirements, voters can still cast their vote through a provisional
ballot, so long as you are eligible, voting in the proper precinct and the signature on the provisional ballot matches the signature on the registration record.
MAIL-IN BALLOTS
The deadline to request a ballot by mail is Thursday, Aug. 8, for the primary election.
Mail-in ballots must be received at your county’s Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, in order to be counted.
Those who requested vote-by-mail ballots by the Aug. 8 deadline for the primary election are registered to vote by mail the general election as well.
In the Nov. 5 general election, mail-in ballots have to be received at the supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. Nov. 5.
Overseas voters have a 10-day extension for getting their ballots into the election supervisors’ office for the Nov. 5 election, “provided the ballot is postmarked or dated by Election Day. Untimely received ballots are otherwise not counted,” according to the Florida elections website.
You can request a voteby-mail ballot in one of three ways: Using Form DS-DE 160 (Statewide Vote-by-Mail ballot Request Form); in person at a supervisor of elections office; by calling the supervisor of elections office in your county.