Florida Department of State Encourages Voter Registration, Educates Voters About Options

Know your ballot. Know your options. Know your vote counts.

Tallahassee, Florida –

The Florida Department of State today kicked off a voter information campaign on National Voter Registration Day to encourage Floridians to vote and to educate them about their voting options. As part of the voter information campaign, public service announcements (PSA) will be airing on television and radio throughout Florida with the support of the Florida Cable Telecommunications Association and the Florida Association of Broadcasters.

"Voting is a symbol of our nation’s freedom and a direct way to influence the future of our state and country," said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. "The goal of our voter information campaign is to encourage Floridians to vote, educate them about the variety of ways to vote and remind Floridians that they can better prepare to vote by reading a sample ballot."

During a press conference today, the department revealed three television PSAs, which can be viewed online at www.KnowYourVoteCounts.com. Also in attendance at the press conference was Jessica Lowe-Minor, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida and Steve Wilkerson, President of the Florida Cable Telecommunications Association.

"Voter Registration Day is a reminder that there are only two weeks left to register in time for the general election," said Jessica Lowe-Minor, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. "We hope that Floridians will recognize how their voice matters in an election, get registered and cast a ballot in future elections."

"We hope that Floridians will see these public service announcements and be reminded of what they need to do to register to vote and how they can go about casting a ballot," said Steve Wilkerson, President of the Florida Cable Telecommunications Association. "It’s very important that Floridians participate in elections if they want to have the most representative government possible."

Know Your Ballot

In addition to knowing the candidates on a ballot, Floridians will benefit from knowing the 11 proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the General Election ballot this year. The best way for Floridians to familiarize themselves with the upcoming ballot is to review a sample ballot. County supervisors of elections can provide a sample ballot. To find your supervisor of elections and request a sample ballot, visit http://election.dos.state.fl.us/SOE/supervisor_elections.asp.

Know Your Options

Florida voters have more options to cast a ballot than simply doing so in their precinct on Election Day. Every Florida voter can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail up to a month before Election Day. From October 27 to November 3, Florida voters also have eight days of ‘early voting’ to cast a ballot at a polling place prior to Election Day. Floridians should ask their supervisor of elections about local times and locations for early voting. Information about voting by mail can be found online at http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voting/absentee.shtml.

Know Your Vote Counts

Floridians must be registered to vote by October 9, 2012, to cast a 2012 General Election ballot. To register, Floridians can fill out a voter registration form online and send it to their supervisor of elections. If registered, Floridians should make sure their signature and address are current. Online registration forms can be found at http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voter-registration/voter-reg.shtml#voterApp. Every Florida voter can check their voter status online at http://registration.elections.myflorida.com/CheckVoterStatus.