Secretary Detzner Issues Election Readiness Update for Upcoming Primary Election on August 30

Tallahassee –

Today, Secretary of State Ken Detzner issued the following statement prior to Florida’s Primary Election on Tuesday, August 30, 2016:

"Florida’s Primary Election is on Tuesday, August 30 and polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 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, which is being offered in all counties through Saturday, August 27. Some counties may be offering early voting on Sunday, August 28.

“The Department is also closely monitoring current weather reports. Although it is too premature to determine if voters will be impacted by adverse weather conditions, I am in constant contact with Governor Scott, the Division of Emergency Management, and Supervisors of Elections. Any updates that have the potential to impact Florida voters will be immediately communicated. In the meantime, visit YourVoteFlorida.com or contact your local Supervisor of Elections office for more information."

"GET READY. GET SET. VOTE!" TIPS

EARLY VOTING: Early voting is currently being offered in all Florida counties through Saturday, August 27. Some counties may offer early voting on Sunday, August 28. Additional information on early voting days, hours and locations is available on the Division of Elections website. You can also contact your local Supervisor of Elections office.

VOTE-BY-MAIL: The deadline for voters to request a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed was on Wednesday, August 24. Voters can pick up a vote-by-mail ballot through the Monday, August 29 from their respective Supervisor of Elections office. 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 is available for overseas voters on the Division of Elections website.

VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT 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/ 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.

ID REQUIREMENTS AT THE POLLS: According to the 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 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.

ELECTION RESULTS & STATISTICS

ELECTION RESULTS: On Tuesday, August 30, 2016, election results for Florida’s Primary 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.

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.

BOOKCLOSING REPORTS: On August 1, 2016, voter registration books closed for the Primary 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 archived 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.