Florida Governor Rick Scott said he will not postpone voter registration because of Hurricane Matthew. (Getty)
The deadline to register to vote on November 8 in Florida is Wednesday, October 18.
Even as Hurricane Matthew struck the Florida coastline, Governor Rick Scott said on Thursday that he did not plan on moving back the voter registration deadline for the November General Election. The Hillary Clinton campaign had requested it, but Scott, a Republican and Donald Trump supporter, declined to do so. However, a court ordered that the deadline be pushed back a day. On October 12, a judge extended the deadline again to October 18.
You cannot register to vote online in Florida. Last year, the state legislature passed a bill to allow voters to register online, but the system could not be completed for the 2016 general election. Florida also does not have same-day registration.
Therefore, you can only register to vote by mail or in person in Florida. Below are the instructions for each process.
Registering In Person
In order to register to vote in person, you need to go to the office of the Supervisor of Elections in your county to pick up the form. Click here to find your Supervisor of Elections. If you are unsure of which county you live in, click the drop-down menu under “Select Your City from List” and press your “enter” key. The name of your county will appear in the box under “Your County.”
The form is also available in English by clicking here. You can also register using the Spanish form found here.
You can also pick up the form at a tax collector’s office, public library, Florida driver’s license office that issues Florida diver’s licenses or ID card.
Once you have filled out the form, you can return it to any Supervisor of Elections office, tax collector’s office, public library, or Florida driver’s license office that issues Florida diver’s licenses or ID cards. The forms must be handed in by October 12.
Registering By Mail
To register to vote by mail, print out the form (in English or in Spanish). If you have never voted in Florida before, you will have to provide a copy of a current photo ID, current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document with your name and address.
After filling out the form, you must place it in an envelope with a stamp. Mail the form to your local County Supervisor of Elections. The form can also be mailed to:
Florida Division of Elections
Room 316, R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
The form can also be mailed or handed into at a driver’s license office, a voter registration agency including an armed forces recruitment office or public library.
The envelope must be postmarked by October 11. You should receive a voter registration cart within two weeks. If you do not, call your County Supervisor of Elections.
How To Check Your Voter Registration Status
To check your voter registration status, click here to visit Registration.Elections.MyFlorida.com/checkyourvoterstatus. All you need to put in is your first and last name and your date of birth to see if you are registered to vote. It could take 1-2 business days for the system to be updated with new registrations. You can also call the Division of Elections‘ Voter Assistance Hotline at 1.866.308.6739.
Election Dates
The early voting period in Florida runs from October 29 to November 5. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.