Secretary Detzner Issues Election Readiness Update for Upcoming General Election on November 8

Tallahassee –

Today, Secretary of State Ken Detzner issued the following statement and shared information with Florida voters prior to the General Election on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.

Secretary of State Ken Detzner, said, "The General Election is less than one week away and early voting is currently offered in all 67 counties. General Election Day is Tuesday, November 8 and polls will be open statewide from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Any voters waiting in line at 7:00 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot. Florida voters have many choices to exercise their right to vote. I encourage eligible voters who are not voting-by-mail to exercise their right to vote during early voting through November 5 or at the polls on Election Day. Some counties may also be offering early voting on Sunday, November 6.

“Florida voters who have requested a vote-by-mail ballot should remember to allow sufficient time to return their ballot. With the exception of overseas voters, all vote-by-mail ballots must be received by your Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on election night. Plan ahead and make sure your voice is heard!”

PSA: WAYS TO VOTE IN FLORIDA

Visit the Department of State’s YouTube page to watch and share a public service announcement entitled, “Ways to Vote in Florida”. Versions with Spanish subtitles and text are also available.

"GET READY. GET SET. VOTE!" TIPS

VOTE-BY-MAIL: All registered Florida voters have the option to vote-by-mail. The deadline for voters to request a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed to them is on Wednesday, November 2. Voters can pick up a vote-by-mail ballot through Monday, November 7 from their respective Supervisor of Elections office. With the exception of overseas voters, vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. Additional information is available for overseas voters on the Division of Elections website. Voters are encouraged to request and return their vote-by-mail ballots as soon as possible.

VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT REQUESTS ON ELECTION DAY: A voter may also request a ballot from their Supervisor of Elections 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/ Español PDF) in which the voter affirms that he or she has an emergency that keeps the voter from being able to go to his or her assigned polling place to vote.

EARLY VOTING: All registered Florida voters have the option to vote early at a designated early voting site in their county of residence. All 67 counties will have early voting from October 29 through November 5. Some counties may offer additional days of early voting. Contact your local Supervisor of Elections office for more information.

ELECTION DAY VOTING: All registered Florida voters have the option to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. On Election Day, polls will be open statewide from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. local time. Any voters waiting in line at 7:00 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot.  If you do not know where your polling place is, contact your county Supervisor of Elections. You can also find your precinct and polling place on your county Supervisor of Elections' website or by using the Check Your Voter Status webpage.

ID REQUIREMENTS AT THE POLLS: In accordance with Florida Statutes, voters will be asked to provide a valid photo ID with signature at the polls during early voting and on Election Day. If the photo ID does not contain a signature, voters will be asked to provide another ID that has a signature. A voter who does not have an acceptable ID can still vote using a provisional ballot. In 2016, the Florida Legislature added 3 new categories of acceptable forms of IDs (chapter 2016-167, Laws of Florida) bringing the total number of acceptable forms of photo IDs to 12. The 12 forms of ID accepted are:

• Florida driver’s license
• Florida identification card issued by the 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 issued pursuant to s. 790.06
• Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the Federal Government, the state, a county, or a municipality.

RESOURCES FOR VOTERS: The Department of State’s Division of Elections offers several resources to voters online at YourVoteFlorida.com, including links to find your polling place. The website is also available in a Spanish version: YourVoteFlorida.com en Español. Voters can also contact you’re their local Supervisor of Elections office  and/or call the State’s Voter Assistance Hotline at 1.866.308.6739, which is available in both English and Spanish. Voters who are hearing or speech impaired may contact the Division of Elections using the Florida Relay Service at 1.800.955.8771 (TDD) or 1.800.955.8770 (Voice).

ELECTION RESULTS & STATISTICS

PRELIMINARY ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS: Beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, preliminary election results for the General Election will be available on the Florida Election Watch website, enight.elections.myflorida.com. Visitors to the site will be able to customize results tracking by contest, county and other categories. Please be aware that while Florida polls close at 7 p.m., Florida has two time zones. Voting will not be completed statewide until 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern. Election results will be published on the Florida Election Watch website after 8 p.m. Eastern. Official returns for the General Election are due to the Department of State from county canvassing boards no later than noon on November 20.

EARLY VOTING AND VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT STATISTICS: The Division of Elections is providing daily early voting and vote-by-mail ballot statistics based on county reports last filed by the Supervisor of Elections for that county. To access these statistics, please visit the Division of Elections’ Vote-by-Mail Request & Early Voting Statistics webpage.

VOTER REGISTRATION STATISTICS: On October 18, 2016, 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, and include a breakdown of voter registration by county and additional parameters. To access these bookclosing reports, please visit the Division of Elections’ website.

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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; the 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/.

*Pursuant to Chapter 2016-37, Laws of Florida, beginning July 1, 2016 the term “Absentee Ballot” has changed to “Vote-by-Mail Ballot” in the State of Florida.