Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee Issues Election Readiness Update for Upcoming Presidential Preference Primary on March 17

Tallahassee, Fla. –

Today, Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee issued the following statement prior to the Presidential Preference Primary on March 17, 2020:

“In the days ahead, millions of Floridians will early vote, vote-by-mail, or cast a ballot for Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary on Tuesday, March 17,” said Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee. “We are working with county Supervisors of Elections around the clock to guarantee that those votes count and that we ensure fair and accurate elections. Visit the Division of Elections website to find dates, hours and locations for early voting. Voters can also find their polling location using the Division of Elections’ Voter Information Lookup.”

COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019) GUIDANCE – In light of the evolving situation with COVID-19, the Florida Department of State has provided guidance and information to all Supervisors of Elections about preparing for and mitigating exposure to COVID-19 at polling locations. The Department is working with Supervisors of Elections to ensure hand sanitizer stations are available at polling locations. The Department continues to monitor the situation with our federal, state, and local partners. Florida voters concerned about COVID-19 should make themselves aware of ways to protect against exposure and should consider the Vote-By-Mail option.

VOTE-BY-MAIL – Voters are asked to return their vote-by-mail ballots at their Supervisor of Elections office or any early voting location in their county or by mail. Voters may pick up a vote-by-mail ballot through Election Day from their respective Supervisor of Elections office. (The deadline for voters to request a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed was 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.) If a voter or designee waits until Election Day to pick-up a vote-by-mail ballot, the Election Day Vote-By-Mail Ballot Delivery Affidavit (DS-DE 136 - English PDF/ Español PDF) must also be completed 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.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day if the voted ballot is to count. Additional information is available for overseas voters on the Division of Elections website.

EARLY VOTING – Early voting in Florida will be held in all 67 counties from Saturday, March 7 through Saturday, March 14. Some counties may choose to add more early voting days. Additional information on early voting days, hours and locations is available on the Division of Elections website. Voters can also contact their local Supervisor of Elections office.

VOTER ASSISTANCE HOTLINE – The Division of Elections offers a toll-free voter assistance hotline, 1.866.308.6739 (in English and Español), available Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm ET, with extended hours on Election Day. For hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Division using the Florida Relay Service, 1.800.955.8771 (TDD), 1.800.955.8770 (Voice), or 1.877.955.8773 (Español).  Voters can also contact their local Supervisor of Elections office.

ID REQUIREMENTS AT THE POLLS – According to the Florida law, at the polls during early voting and on Election Day, voters will be required to provide a current and valid photo ID with signature. 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. The following photo IDs will be accepted:

• Florida driver 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
• A license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm issued pursuant to 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 March 17, 2020, Florida’s election results for the Presidential Preference Primary will be available on the Florida Election Watch website, FloridaElectionWatch.gov. Visitors to the site will be able to track results by county and can also compare statewide and county results. 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, click here.

BOOK-CLOSING REPORTS – On February 18, 2020, voter registration books closed for the Presidential Preference Primary election. The Division of Elections prepares detailed statistical reports on the number of active registered voters as of the day of book closing. The reports are available in Excel and PDF format and include a breakdown of voter registration by county and additional parameters. To access book-closing reports, click here.

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About the Florida 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/.