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Visit these websites for more information and
resources:
Publications and other resources:
Make
an Impact: Register and Vote! flyer
Open Your Campaign flyer
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Loss of Right to
Vote
There are only
two ways you can lose your right to vote
under Florida law:
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The first way is
if a judge finds that under Florida's
guardianship laws, you are mentally
incapacitated with regard to voting
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The second way
is if a court has convicted you of a
felony and suspended your civil rights
Only a court
can take away your right to vote.
No one else - not a
guardian advocate, not an election official, not
a caregiver, not a family member or anyone else,
has the legal authority to prevent you from
voting.
If you need
assistance protecting your right to vote, you
may contact Disability Rights Florida.
Guardianship
A judge can take
away your right to vote if the judge finds that
you are mentally incapacitated with respect
to voting. If you have been found to be
incapacitated but believe your rights, including
your right to vote should be restored, contact
Disability Rights Florida to request
assistance.
Felony Criminal
Conviction
In Florida, a person
who has been convicted of a felony and whose
civil rights have been suspended, may not vote
unless the right to vote has been restored. Help
is available to people, including people with
disabilities, to pursue the restoration of their
rights through the Florida Parole Commission
Office of Executive Clemency.
Visit the Links tab
to access the Florida Rights Restoration
Coalition and Florida Parole Commission
Office of Executive Clemency websites for
more information.
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Four
Ways to Vote
Florida law provides that as a registered voter,
you may choose one of four ways to vote:
Early Voting
Early voting in Florida begins 10 days before
each state or federal election and ends on the
3rd day before that election.
Early voting for the 2012 Primary Election
begins August 4, 2012. Early voting for
the 2012 General Election begins October 27,
2012.
However, if you live in Collier, Hardee,
Hendry, Hillsborough or Monroe County,
contact your Supervisor of Elections for
information about possible additional early
voting days.
Early voting requires that you, the registered
voter, vote in person at a voting site
designated by the Supervisor of Elections for
early voting. If you vote early, you will use
the same type of voting equipment used on
Election Day and you must bring a valid picture
identification with signature. See below for
details regarding accepted forms of
identification.
Voting at the Polls on Election Day
On
Election Day, the polls are open from 7 a.m.
until 7 p.m.
Contact your Supervisor of Elections or visit
their website to learn which precinct and
polling place you need to go to.
When
you vote, bring a valid picture identification
with signature. The following photo
identification is accepted:
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Florida driver’s license
-
Florida identification card issued by the
Department of Highway Safety and Motor
Vehicles
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United States passport
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Debit or credit card
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Military identification
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Student identification
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Retirement center identification
-
Neighborhood association identification
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Public assistance identification
If
your photo identification does not contain your
signature, you will be asked to provide an
additional identification that includes a
signature.
If
you do not have proper identification, your vote
will be considered "provisional" but will later
be counted if the signature on the
"provisional" ballot envelope is found to
match the signature on your voter registration
application.
Absentee Voting or Voting by Mail
Florida law allows you, as a registered voter,
to request an absentee ballot from the
Supervisor of Elections.
A
member of your immediate family or a legal
guardian may also request an absentee ballot for
you, if directly instructed to do so by the
voter. The request can cover two general
election cycles and details can be obtained
from your Supervisor of Election.
A
request for an absentee ballot to be mailed must
be made no later than 5 p.m. on the 6th day
before an election.
Florida law allows you to have assistance
marking your choices on your absentee ballot if
such assistance is required because of
blindness, disability or inability to read or
write.
At an Assisted Living Facility or Nursing Home
If
you live at an Assisted Living Facility or in a
Nursing Home, Florida law requires that a
Supervisor of Election set up and facilitate
absentee voting within the assisted living
facility or nursing home whenever the facility
administrator makes a timely and proper request.
The request must be submitted at least 21 days
before the election and list at least five
voters who wish to vote at the facility. If
fewer than five names appear on the request, the
Supervisor is not required to set up and
facilitate the absentee voting.
However, a Supervisor of Election may set up
such voting even if the facility administrator
has not requested it. Visit the Links tab to
read further. Generally you must be a resident
of the facility to be eligible to vote at the
facility.
To
access Florida's law on these and other voting
topics, visit the Links tab.
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