How Voting Works in Florida

General public information only — not legal advice. Election rules change through statutes, Division of Elections guidance, and court orders. Confirm deadlines and ID rules with the Florida Division of Elections and your county Supervisor of Elections for the election you care about.

How to use this page

This page explains Florida's statewide voting rules and points you to the official pages for anything that varies by county or by election. It does not tell anyone how to vote or for whom.

Rules on this page are marked one of three ways: - Statewide law: set by a Florida statute. The section is cited. - County procedure: varies by county. Check your Supervisor of Elections. - NEEDS_HUMAN: something a reviewer should confirm before this page goes live.

2026 General Election key dates (Division of Elections)

Some of these dates have already passed as of this page's check date. Future election dates are on the Division's Election Dates page.

Who can register to vote

To register in Florida you must be (s. 97.041): - at least 18. You may preregister at 16 and vote once you turn 18. - a U.S. citizen - a legal resident of Florida and of the county where you register

You may not register or vote if: - you have been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting and your right to vote has not been restored, or - you have been convicted of a felony and your right to vote has not been restored.

Felony convictions and voting rights (Art. VI, s. 4, Fla. Const.; s. 98.0751): - Most felonies: voting rights are restored when a person completes all terms of the sentence. That includes any prison, parole or probation, and full payment of fines, fees, costs and restitution ordered in the sentence. - Murder or a felony sexual offense: rights can only be restored through the clemency process.

The Division has a detailed page and an advisory-opinion process for anyone unsure: Felon Voting Rights. This is an area where individual legal advice matters. NEEDS_HUMAN for any specific case.

How to register or update your registration

The Division lists these ways to register or update your name, address, party or signature: - Online, through the state's online voter registration system (see Online Voter Registration). - At a tax collector's office that issues driver licenses or ID cards, or when renewing a driver license or ID online. - At a designated voter registration agency. - By mail or in person, using the statewide application (Form DS-DE 39), available from your county SOE, public libraries and other listed locations.

Deadline: - Registration closes on the 29th day before each election (s. 97.055). - After that, new applications are accepted but count only for later elections. - Name, address and signature updates are still allowed for the upcoming election. - Party changes made after the deadline don't apply to a primary that nominates party candidates.

Keep your signature current. Your signature on file is compared against mail-ballot and provisional-ballot certificates. You can update it with a new registration application (s. 98.077).

Starting January 1, 2027 (ch. 2026-26): - New steps to verify U.S. citizenship for registration applicants. - New requirements for applicants whose citizenship can't be verified through state records to provide acceptable evidence. - Details will follow in Division guidance. NEEDS_HUMAN: recheck the registration pages after January 1, 2027.

Photo ID at the polls

For elections held before January 1, 2027, including the November 3, 2026 general election: the Division of Elections tells voters to bring one current and valid photo ID with a signature. It lists these IDs (the list also appeared in s. 101.043, F.S. 2025): 1. Florida driver license 2. Florida identification card (FLHSMV) 3. U.S. passport 4. Debit or credit card 5. Military identification 6. Student identification 7. Retirement center identification 8. Neighborhood association identification 9. Public assistance identification 10. Veteran health identification card (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) 11. License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm (s. 790.06) 12. Employee ID card issued by a federal, state, county or municipal government entity

If your photo ID has no signature, you'll be asked for a second ID that has your signature.

Starting January 1, 2027, ch. 2026-26 shortens the list (s. 101.043(1)(a), as amended). The accepted IDs will be: - Florida driver license - Florida ID card - U.S. passport or passport card - U.S. uniformed services or Merchant Marine identification - Veteran health identification card - Concealed weapon or firearm license - Any other ID card issued by a federal, state, county or municipal government entity, excluding cards issued by an educational institution

Debit or credit cards, student IDs, retirement center IDs, neighborhood association IDs, public assistance IDs and employee IDs are no longer listed.

Note: the official 2026 statute pages already show the new list, even though it doesn't take effect until January 1, 2027. For any election in 2026, follow the Division's current ID list above.

No ID? You can still vote a provisional ballot (s. 101.043(2)). See "Provisional ballots" below.

Early voting

Statewide rules (s. 101.657; Division of Elections): - Early voting must be offered in any election with a state or federal office on the ballot. - Minimum period: from the 10th day through the 3rd day before the election. - Optional extra days: a Supervisor may start as early as the 15th day and run through the 2nd day before. - Hours: at least 8 and no more than 12 hours a day at each site. - You may vote at any early voting site in your county of registration.

County procedure: sites, days and exact hours are set by each county. The Division posts the county site lists for each election on its Early Voting and Secure Ballot Intake Stations page. Your SOE's website has the final schedule.

Vote-by-mail

Requesting a ballot (s. 101.62; Division of Elections): - Where: request from your county Supervisor of Elections, in writing (statewide Form DS-DE 160), online through your county's link, by phone, or in person. - What to include: - your name, date of birth and address - your Florida driver license number, Florida ID card number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number - your signature, if the request is written - Who may request: - the voter - certain immediate family members or a legal guardian - a designee for a voter with a disability - How long a request lasts: one request covers elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election. After that, you must request again.

Deadlines: - To request that a ballot be mailed: no later than 5 p.m. on the 12th day before the election. - To return your ballot: it must be received by your Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. local time on Election Day, regardless of postmark (s. 101.67). - Overseas voters have a limited 10-day extension for presidential preference primaries and general elections, per the Division. - Mailing tip: the Division passes along the U.S. Postal Service's recommendation to mail ballots back at least one week before Election Day.

Returning in person: - Secure ballot intake stations ("drop boxes") are at Supervisor offices and early voting sites. - They are staffed or monitored by Supervisor employees, and those away from Supervisor offices are open only during early voting hours (s. 101.69). - Locations and hours vary by county.

Tracking: use the Division's Vote-by-Mail Ballot Information and Status Lookup for your county's tracker.

Election Day

• Hours: polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. may vote.
• Where: on Election Day you must vote at your assigned precinct. Find it through the Division's Voter Precinct Lookup.
• What to bring: an accepted photo ID with signature. See "Photo ID at the polls" above.
• Help available: accessible voting and language assistance are covered on the Division's Voting pages.

Provisional ballots and fixing signature problems

Provisional ballots (s. 101.048; Division of Elections): - When: if you have no ID, your eligibility is challenged, or your registration can't be confirmed, you still have the right to vote a provisional ballot. - Notice of rights: you'll receive a written notice explaining your rights and how to check whether your ballot counted. - Proving eligibility: you have until 5 p.m. local time on the second day after the election to present further evidence of eligibility. - Signature check: the canvassing board compares the signature on the provisional ballot certificate with your registration record.

Signature cures (s. 101.68; Division of Elections): - When it applies: your mail-ballot or provisional-ballot signature is missing or doesn't match your record. - What the Supervisor does: tries to contact you. - What you do: submit a cure affidavit with a copy of identification. That's Form DS-DE 139 for mail ballots or DS-DE 210 for provisional ballots. - Deadline: 5 p.m. local time on the second day after the election. - How to submit: for mail ballots, the Division says the form can go by mail, email, fax or in person.

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Official sources

Change log

What would force a refresh

• January 1, 2027: ch. 2026-26 takes effect. Update the ID and registration sections to present tense and recheck the Division's pages.
• A new session law amending chapters 97–106. The 2027 regular session is next.
• A Division of Elections advisory or updated guidance, especially new election-dates pages for 2027–2028.
• A court order affecting ID, registration, mail ballots or ch. 2026-26. NEEDS_HUMAN: no litigation review was done for this draft.