PRESS RELEASE: Secretary Byrd Issues Election Readiness Update for General Election on November 8

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

Florida’s General Election is on Tuesday, November 8 and polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Early voting is available in all counties through Saturday, November 5 and some counties may also offer early voting on Sunday, November 6. Voters in Lee, Charlotte, and Sarasota counties may have additional early voting options through Election Day due to Executive Order 22-234.

“The Department has prepared for this election by strengthening election integrity so Florida voters can remain confident that their ballots will be counted accurately and on time,” said Florida Secretary of State and Chief Election Officer Cord Byrd. “I have also visited with all 67 of Florida’s Supervisors of Elections and can confidently say that each Supervisor is ready to support their voters and administer a successful election.”

Since his appointment in May, Secretary Byrd has visited with all 67 Supervisors of Elections, toured their facilities, and discussed preparations for the upcoming election. The Secretary made additional visits and conducted extensive outreach to counties that were in the path of Hurricane Ian to make recommendations that are reflected in Governor DeSantis’ Executive Order 22-234. Secretary Byrd is confident that all of Florida’s Supervisors are prepared to administer the 2022 General Election, and the Department is prepared to support them.  

Key Information for Florida Voters in Counties Impacted by Hurricane Ian

Under Executive Order 22-234, voters in Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties as severely impacted by Hurricane Ian have additional early voting and vote-by-mail options, as well as the option to vote on Election Day. A list of early voting locations, dates and times in these counties, a list of election day voting locations, and contact information for county Supervisors of Elections is available at the Florida Department of State’s Hurricane Ian Election Resources webpage.

Key Information for Florida Voters

Voting at the Polls on Election Day: The polls are open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Any voters waiting in line at 7:00 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot. On Election Day, 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 Lookup webpage. Polling locations for voters in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties may have changed and voters are encouraged to visit their Supervisor of Elections’ website for the latest information.

Early Voting: Early voting is currently being offered in all Florida counties through Saturday, November 5. Some counties may also offer early voting on Sunday, November 6. Contact the local Supervisor of Elections office for early voting days, hours and locations in each county or visit the Division of Elections’ website. Voters in Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties as severely impacted by Hurricane Ian may have additional days until Election Day and are encouraged to visit their Supervisor of Elections’ website for the latest information. Voters can vote at any early voting location in their county.

ID Requirements at the Polls: By law, all voters must provide a current and valid photo ID at the polls during early voting or on Election Day. 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.

Election Results & Statistics

Election Results: On Tuesday, November 8, 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 7:00 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 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Early Voting and Vote-by-Mail Ballot Statistics: The Division of Elections is providing daily early voting and vote-by-mail ballot statistics. These daily 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.

Voter Turnout: On Election Day, the public and media may track hourly voter turnout on the county level and the state level from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. (local time).

Book closing (Registration Deadline) Reports: On Tuesday, October 11, 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 book closing. The reports are available in Excel and PDF format. To access the current and archived book closing reports, please visit the Division of Elections website.

Timeline for Reporting and Certification of Election Results

In Florida, the timeline and procedures by which county canvassing boards report results to the Department of State, and the process by which results are certified, are determined by several provisions in state law. On Election Night, preliminary returns are reported to the Department after polls close and will be available beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the Florida Election Watch website. Preliminary returns reported to the state on Election Night are not the official election results.

The first unofficial set of returns are due by Noon on Saturday, November 12. If the first unofficial set of returns indicates that a recount is triggered, the Secretary of State orders the recount if it is for a federal, state, or multicounty races or issue. For all other races, the board certifying the results orders the recount.  an announcement will be sent to the media and the public. If the results of the machine recount indicate a manual recount is required, the Secretary of State or the county canvassing board, depending on the race, issues the recount. An announcement will be made to the media and the public.

Official returns are due to the Department of State from county canvassing boards no later than noon on Sunday, November 20. The official results will be certified at a meeting of the Florida Elections Canvassing Commission at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 22 at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee.

Florida’s timeline for the reporting and certification of election results, which includes the process for possible recounts for any races on the ballot is available in detail on 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: 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.