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National Voter Registration Day: How to register to vote in Florida

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Published  September 17, 2024 12:57pm EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News

National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday

With Election Day fast approaching, people are reminded on National Voter Registration Day to prepare accordingly.

TAMPA, Fla. - Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they missed a registration deadline, didn’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register.

That's why "National Voter Registration Day" is meant to educate people and encourage people to have a voting plan.

Here are a few important dates to keep in mind in Florida:

  • The deadline to register to vote: Monday, Oct. 7
  • The deadline to request a mail-in ballot: Thursday, Oct. 24
  • Mandatory early voting period: Saturday, Oct. 26 – Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024
  • Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5

Florida voters can register to vote in a number of ways:

  • Online at https://registertovoteflorida.Gov
  • By showing up in person at their local supervisor of elections office or by mailing an application to them
  • At their local Florida DMV office
  • Any voter registration agency such as a public assistance office
  • Any public library

To be eligible voters must:

  • Be a United States citizen
  • Be a Florida resident
  • Be 18 years old (you may pre-register to vote if you are 16 years old)
  • Not now be adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having the right to vote restored
  • Not have been convicted of a felony without your civil rights having been restored

If you're already registered but need to update some information, you can also do that here. 

Once you're all set up, you can then go to your county's supervisor of elections website to see where early voting locations will be. And your local precinct if you plan on casting our ballots on November 5.

If you plan on voting by mail, also keep in mind that Florida’s voting laws now require people who wish to request a vote-by-mail ballot to do so after every election cycle.

No matter how you cast your ballot, officials say the most important thing is that you vote.

"If you're able to vote by mail, vote early in person or on Election Day, those all count the same," stressed Benjamin Hovland, Election Assistance Commission chairman. "The question is how you're going to do it and if, if you're voting by mail, making sure that you leave enough time for that ballot to get delivered to you and sent back."

As election officials prepare to send out mail-in ballots to voters, US postmaster general -- Louis Dejoy -- is alerting state election officials that the postal service will be ready for the surge in documents ahead of the November election.

In a recent letter, Dejoy says postal employees are already receiving intense training and added that they're working on resolving concerns that were raised during the primaries.