PRESS RELEASE: Secretary of State Cord Byrd Announces Polls Open Statewide on General Election Day

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

This morning, following a media availability, Secretary of State Cord Byrd issued the following statement:

“The Department can report that all polls have opened statewide and will remain open until 7:00 p.m. local time. Voters still in line at 7:00 p.m. local time will be able to cast a ballot. Throughout the day I will be in contact with all 67 Supervisors of Elections and the Department will be ready to provide any needed support.

“Florida voters have a chance to elect their leaders at the local, state and national levels, as well as vote on proposed constitutional amendments. The Department has information and resources available to help all Florida voters at dos.myflorida.com/elections.”

Updates

Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota Counties: Executive Order 22-234 issued by Governor Ron DeSantis on October 12, 2022, is still in effect in these counties. Secretary Byrd and the Division of Elections are in close communication with the respective Supervisors of Elections in these counties to ensure that provisions of the executive order are followed. More information can be found on the Department’s Hurricane Ian Election Resources webpage.

United States Postal Service: The Division of Elections is in communication with the United States Postal Service to ensure all vote-by-mail ballots that can be delivered are received by Supervisors of Elections offices by the close of the polls at 7:00 p.m., local time.

Security: The Department is monitoring security statewide. At this time there are no reported issues.

Turnout: For Election Day hourly voter turnout numbers, please contact the respective county Supervisor of Elections offices. The Department of State also has a statewide dashboard on voter turn-out on our Florida Election Watch website.  For early voting and vote-by-mail statistics, please visit the Division of Elections Vote-by-Mail Request and Early Voting Reports website.

Election Day Information for Florida Voters

Voting at the Polls on Election Day: The polls are open statewide from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., local time. Any voters waiting in line at 7:00 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot. 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 Check Your Voter Status webpage. Voters in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota Counties are encouraged to check their Supervisor of Elections’ website for the latest information on polling places. 

ID Requirements at the Polls: By law, all voters must provide a current and valid photo ID at the polls. 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.

Vote-by-Mail: Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office no later than 7:00 p.m., local time, on Election Day to be counted. Additional information for military and overseas voters is available on the Division of Elections’ website.

Election Results & Statistics

Preliminary Election Results: Beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, preliminary unofficial election results for Florida’s General Election will be publicly 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. Official results for the General Election are due to the Department of State from county canvassing boards no later than 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, 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. 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.

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.

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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 program administration and 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.