Florida Voter Registration Requirements
To Register To Vote In Florida, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be a U.S. citizen: Only individuals who are U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization are eligible to register and vote in Florida.
- Be a Florida resident.
- Be at least 18 years old (you can pre-register if you are 16 years old).
- Not have been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having had your right to vote restored.
- Not have been convicted of a felony without having had your civil rights restored.
How to Register to Vote in Florida
You can register to vote in one of the following ways:
A paper application can be found at any county Supervisor of Elections office, local library, or any organization authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to issue fishing, hunting, or trapping licenses. The application contains detailed information on how to submit it to your county Supervisor of Elections. If you are a military member or a U.S. citizen residing overseas, you can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the same time using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).
Providing false information is a 3rd-degree felony. The maximum penalty is $5,000 and/or 5 years in prison.
Updating Your Voter Registration Record
If you are already registered to vote in Florida but need to update any information on your voter registration record, you can submit a change request using any of the options available in the “How to Register to Vote” section.
For name and party changes, you must use the online voter registration system or a paper form and must include your Florida driver license number or Florida identification card number or the last 4 digits of your social security number, whichever can be verified in the supervisor’s records.
For address changes, you can use the online voter registration system or a paper form, but additionally, you may call or submit the change by any electronic means available to your county Supervisor of Elections.
Updating Your Signature
Signatures change over time due to changes in style, age, illness or other reasons. Your signature on file with the voter registration office is used to verify and/or compare your signature on a written request for an absentee ballot, on the certificate for an absentee ballot or provisional ballot, candidate petitions, issue petitions or any other signed document requesting a ballot or making another change. The signatures must match in order for the ballot or petition to be counted. A signature update may be done at any time.
Voter Information Card
When you register to vote or update your voter registration record (e.g., change of address, name, or political party), your Supervisor of Elections office will mail you a new or updated voter information card. Review the card to ensure all information is correct. Keep this card handy as it lists important information about your registration record and where to vote. The card includes your party affiliation, precinct and assigned polling place, and your assigned representative offices (local, state, and federal).
Florida Voter Registration Deadlines
The deadline to register to vote for an upcoming election is 29 days before the election. The deadline to submit a party affiliation change before a primary election is 29 days prior to that election.
