Secretary Detzner Issues Updates on General Election Day

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

This morning, Secretary of State Ken Detzner issued the following statement on the start of General Election Day in Florida:

“I am pleased to report that all polls opened statewide on time and voters are casting ballots in all precincts. Polls are open until 7 p.m. and any voters waiting in line at 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot. Division of Elections staff is communicating with each county Supervisor of Elections throughout the day and we stand ready to provide any needed assistance.

“I encourage all Florida voters who did not take advantage of early voting or vote-by-mail to find your precinct and exercise your right to vote. The Department has information and resources available to help all Florida voters Get Ready. Get Set. Vote! at YourVoteFlorida.com.”

Election Day Information for Florida Voters

Voting at the Polls on Election Day: The polls are open statewide from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Any voters waiting in line at 7 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot. Voters must vote at their assigned polling place. Voters can find their assigned polling place by looking at their voter information card, contacting their county Supervisor of Elections or using the Division’s Voter Information Look-Up webpage.

ID Requirements at the Polls: By law, all voters must provide a current and valid photo ID at the polls. Any one of the following 12 IDs is acceptable:

• Florida driver’s license
• Florida identification card issued by the Florida 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
• Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
• License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm pursuant to s. 790.06 F.S.
• Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government, the state, a county or a municipality.

If the voter’s photo ID does not include a signature, the voter will be asked to provide another ID with a signature. If the voter does not bring a proper ID, he or she can still vote a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot will count, provided the voter is eligible, voted in the proper precinct, and the signature on the provisional ballot certificate matches the signature in the voter’s registration record

Vote-by-Mail: Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Additional information for military and overseas voters is available on the Division of Elections website.

Vote-by-Mail Requests on Election Day: If a voter or designee waits until Election Day to pick up a vote-by-mail ballot, the voter must also complete the Election Day Vote-by-Mail Ballot Delivery Affidavit (DS-DE 136 – English PDF / Spanish PDF). The voter must affirm that he or she has an emergency that keeps the voter from voting at his or her assigned polling place.

Election Results & Statistics

Preliminary Election Results: Beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, preliminary unofficial election results for Florida’s General Election will be available on the Florida Election Watch website at https://floridaelectionwatch.gov. Although polls close at 7 p.m. local time, Florida has two time zones (Central and Eastern) and results will not be posted to the Florida Election Watch website until 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

Early Voting and Vote-by-Mail Ballot Statistics: The Division of Elections is providing early voting and vote-by-mail ballot statistics. These statistics are compiled from reports last filed by the Supervisor of Elections for each county. To access these statistics, please visit the Division of Elections Vote-by-Mail Request & Early Voting Statistics webpage.

Bookclosing (Registration Deadline) Reports: On October 9, voter registration books closed for the General Election. The Division of Elections prepares detailed statistical reports on the number of active registered voters as of the day of bookclosing. The reports are available in Excel and PDF format. To access the current and archived bookclosing reports, please visit the Division of Elections website.

Turnout: For Election Day turnout numbers, please contact the respective county Supervisor of Elections offices. For early voting and vote-by-mail statistics, please visit the Division of Elections Vote-by-Mail Request and Early Voting Reports website.

# # #

About the Division of Elections
The Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections supports the Secretary of State, Florida’s chief election officer, in ensuring that Florida has fair and accurate elections. The Division’s three bureaus: Bureau of Election Records, Bureau of Voter Registration Services, and Bureau of Voting Systems Certification, have several responsibilities in the areas of legal compliance and elections administration to ensure that Florida’s election laws are uniformly interpreted and implemented. The Division also assists local Supervisors of Elections in their duties, and promotes enhanced public awareness and participation in the electoral process. For more information about Florida’s elections, visit dos.myflorida.com/elections.