Voting In Florida
"To participate in the selection of officials to represent and run your government or to express your opinion on a specific ballot issue, you must be a registered voter. Only individuals who meet the eligibility requirements and are registered before the election's book closing may vote."
—Voter
Registration Information, Mary W. Morgan, Supervisor of Elections
for Collier County
Who Can Register To Vote?
In order to register to vote, a person
must:- Be a United States citizen;
- Be a Florida resident;
- Be 18 years old (you may pre-register if you are 17);
- Not now be mentally debilitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state;
- Not have been convicted of a felony in Florida, or any other state, without your civil rights having been restored;
- Submit your valid Florida driver's license number or Florida identification card number. If you do not have either of these, you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security number.
How Can I Register to Vote?
To apply to register to vote, you must obtain and complete a voter registration application form. There are many ways a person can register to vote:
- Contact the office of your county supervisor of elections and request a form; or
- Fill in the PDF form on the Florida Department of State website. Print, sign, and mail the application to the office of your county supervisor of elections; or
- Print the form on the Florida Department of State website. Complete the form, sign, and mail the application to the office of your county supervisor of elections. The Florida Voter Registration Application Form requires an original signature.
- Citizens may also register at any Florida driver's license office when making initial application or renewing their licenses
When Can I Register to Vote?
Individuals who meet eligibility requirements
may register at any time. To participate in an election, however,
the individual must be registered by the book closing deadline,
which is always on the 29th day before each election date. Once
voters are registered by the county, they are automatically
registered for city, county, state, and federal elections.
Florida is a Closed Primary State
Florida is a closed primary state. Only voters who are registered
members of the two major political parties (Republicans and
Democrats) may vote for their particular party's candidates
in a primary election. At general elections, all voters receive
the same ballot and may vote for any candidate or issue on the
ballot. If there are write-in candidates, a space will be left
on the ballot where the candidate's name may be written.
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