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How To Vote

Download our Voter Guide (English, PDF)
Download our Accessible Voter Guide (English, PDF)

Download our Voter Guide (Spanish, PDF)
Download our Accessible Voter Guide (Spanish, PDF)

Registration Requirements

  • Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Must be a Florida resident
  • Must be 18 years old, or at least 16 years old to pre-register
  • Must have your civil rights (if convicted of a felony or declared mentally incompetent by the courts, your civil rights must be restored before registering)

You can register to vote or update an existing voter registration:

  • Online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov
    • Certain registration updates require a signature, so even when making the update online, you will be prompted to print, sign, and mail us the form with your update.
  • At the driver license office
  • At a public library
  • At the Center for Independent Living
  • At WIC and DCF offices
  • At any elections office

Visit our Register To Vote page for more information.

Voter registration is available year-round, but in order to vote in an upcoming election, you must register to vote no later than 29 days before that election.

New registrations CANNOT be submitted via email. Please refer to the above options.

Keep Your Record Current

Once registered, keep the following information on your record up-to-date:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Political Party Affiliation
  • Signature

Since your residential address is used to determine the correct ballot for you in an election, it is important to keep your address up-to-date. You can make changes to your voter registration:

  • Online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov
  • By calling us at 407-836-2070
  • On a Florida Voter Registration Application at a public library or elections office

You can also download a Florida Voter Registration Application (English PDF, Division of Elections Website) to update your information, and mail or drop it off.
Download a Florida Voter Registration Application (Spanish PDF, Division of Elections Website)

Download a Public Records Exemption Request Form (Division of Elections Website)

Political Party Affiliation

Florida is a closed primary state. If you want to vote in a partisan primary, you must be registered with that particular party affiliation (Chapter 101.021, Florida Statutes). All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote on issues and nonpartisan races.

When all candidates in a contest are of the same party affiliation, there is a universal primary. All qualified voters, regardless of party affiliation, can vote in a universal primary.

When registering to vote, choosing a party affiliation is optional. If you do not choose a party affiliation, you will be registered with no party affiliation (NPA).

The deadline to change your party affiliation is 29 days before any primary election.

You can find a list of political parties and their contact information on the Florida Division of Elections website.

Orange County Democratic Party Website

Orange County Republican Party Website

Voter Information Card

We will mail you a voter information card to confirm new registrations, voter updates, or polling place changes. While this mailer has valuable information, it is not required that you show it on Election Day to vote.

Three Convenient Ways To Vote

Decide which is best for your busy schedule: voting by mail, early voting, or at the polls on Election Day.

Vote-By-Mail

If you are unable or prefer not to vote early or at the polls on Election Day, you may request a vote-by-mail ballot. The vote-by-mail packet will include instructions on how to mark your ballot, sign the voter’s certificate, and return your ballot.

You can request a vote-by-mail ballot at any time. We must receive your request for a vote-by-mail ballot no later than 5 p.m. twelve days before the election. For your vote to count, we must receive your voted, signed vote-by-mail ballot no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day – postmarks do not count.

For more information about voting by mail and requesting your vote-by-mail ballot, visit our Vote-By-Mail page.

Early Voting

If you prefer to cast your ballot in person before Election Day, check your sample ballot or visit our Early Voting page to find an early voting location that is convenient for you.

Early voting begins 10 – 15 days before an election. Note the locations, dates, and hours of operation. Please bring photo and signature identification.

If you need help in reading or marking your ballot, you may bring someone with you, or poll workers are available to assist. Spanish language assistance and ADA-compliant voting equipment are available at all early voting locations.

For more information, visit our Early Voting page.

Voting On Election Day

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. On Election Day, you must vote at your assigned polling place. You must also bring photo and signature identification.

If you need help in reading or marking your ballot, you may bring someone with you, or poll workers are available to assist. Spanish language assistance and ADA-compliant voting equipment are available at all polling places.

Find My Polling Place

Acceptable Forms of Identification

Acceptable forms of photo identification include:

  • Florida driver 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
  • State of Florida concealed weapon or firearm license
  • Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government, state, a county, or a municipality
  • Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs

If the picture identification does not contain a signature, you will be asked to show an additional identification with your signature.

How To Mark Your Ballot

Completely fill in the oval to the left of your choice with the black pen provided. When voting for write-in candidates, fill in the oval next to the words “Write-In” and print the candidate’s name on the line.

Always review your ballot before placing it in the tabulator, or the return envelope if voting by mail. Once your ballot is accepted into the tabulator or mailed, the law says you have voted and cannot be issued another ballot in that election.

Florida law allows you up to three attempts to mark your ballot correctly. If you make a mistake when marking your ballot, ask for a replacement ballot.

If you vote for more candidates in a race than what is indicated in the title of the race, your vote in that race will not count. This is called an overvote.

You may choose not to vote on a "Vote for One" race, or not to make multiple choices on a "Vote for Two" (or more) race. This is called an undervote.

A message will be displayed on the tabulator screen if you have overvoted any of the races or inserted a blank ballot. However, a message will not be displayed if you have undervoted any race. The tabulator will count all properly marked races.

Restoration of Civil Rights

Voting rights in Florida can only be restored through clemency or by completion of all terms of a sentence, including parole and probation, depending on the type of conviction. To determine if you have completed all terms of your sentence, contact the Florida Department of Corrections, Florida Commission on Offender Review, and/or the clerk of court in the jurisdiction(s) in which you were convicted. To apply for clemency, search for grant of clemency and certificates, or for additional information, visit the Florida Commission on Offender Review Website.

Phone: 1-800-435-8286
              or
              850-488-2952

Sample Ballots

Before each election, if you have not requested a vote-by-mail ballot, you will receive an official sample ballot that will include:

  • The name of your polling place
  • Your polling place address
  • A map

You can pre-mark your sample ballot and use it as a guide when you mark your official ballot at the polls.

Provisional Ballots

If you do not have picture and signature identification, or we cannot determine your eligibility at the time of voting, you will be issued a provisional ballot.

Provisional ballots are sealed inside a certificate envelope and submitted to the canvassing board after the polls close.

The canvassing board will review the information on the certificate envelope and determine whether the envelope may be opened and the ballot counted. Those votes are then included in the election results.

To learn more, visit our Canvassing Board page.