MYTH: Voters will be turned away if they are wearing campaign apparel.
FACT: “Voters may wear campaign buttons, shirts, hats, or any other campaign items when they enter the polling place to vote. Voters may not otherwise campaign there.” (From the Polling Place Procedures Manual incorporated within Rule 1S-2.034,Florida Administrative Code)
So, merely going to the polls wearing campaign paraphernalia is OK, but, by statute (s. 102.031(4), Florida Statutes), one cannot solicit voters within 150 feet of the entrance to any polling place.
MYTH: The address on the driver’s license must match the address in the voter registration record in order to be able to vote.
FACT: The address on the driver’s license does not need to match the address in the voter registration record. If you have moved and haven’t changed your driver’s license to reflect your new address, that’s okay. What is important is that you vote in the precinct where you currently live, no matter what your driver’s license says.
MYTH: If a voter does not have a driver’s license, the voter cannot vote.
FACT: In order to vote at the polls during early voting or on Election Day, you must show a photo and signature identification. Acceptable forms of photo identification include: Florida driver license (quickest to process), Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway, Safety and Motor Vehicles (quickest to process), U.S. passport, Debit or credit card, Military identification, Student identification, Retirement center identification, Neighborhood association identification, or Public assistance identification. Identification must be current & valid. If your photo identification does not contain your signature, you will be required to show an additional form of identification that provides your signature. The voter will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot if they do not have any of the listed identification.
Please note: I.D. is not required for persons who cast a Vote by Mail ballot. However, the signature on the voter registration database is compared to the signature on the voter’s certificate envelope. The two signatures must match.
MYTH: If your house is under foreclosure, you will not be able to vote.
FACT: A foreclosure notice does not necessarily mean that a person no longer resides in the home, as people often remain in the home after foreclosure begins and are sometimes able to refinance the home. Voters whose homes have been foreclosed, but who remain in their homes may continue to vote in their assigned precinct. Voters who have physically moved from their foreclosed residence with no intention of returning to that address may still vote but should provide a change of address to the supervisor of elections. You must vote in your correct precinct.
MYTH: If you are a Florida college student, you have to change your permanent residence to your college address.
FACT: Students can maintain their voter registration at their hometown address, or they may register to vote in the jurisdiction where they attend school. Those who choose to maintain a Broward County registration will want to remember to contact our office for Vote by Mail ballots at election time.
MYTH: Provisional ballots are only counted when there is a close race.
FACT: A provisional ballot is always counted when the voter is shown to be registered and eligible, regardless of the closeness of the outcome of the election. A person who votes provisionally simply because he or she forgot ID at the polls will not have to do anything else. If the signatures on that ballot certificate and the voter roll match, the provisional ballot is counted if the provisional ballot is cast in the correct precinct.
MYTH: Vote by Mail ballots are only counted when there is a close race.
FACT: All Vote by Mail ballots are counted if properly executed, which includes making sure that the return envelope is signed and that the signature matches the voter’s signature on the voter registration database.
MYTH: If a voter owes child support or has pending warrants against him or her, the police will arrest the voter at the polls.
FACT: The voter registration rolls have no information which indicate whether a voter owes child support or has outstanding warrants. Law enforcement personnel are allowed in the polling place only to cast their ballots, so ordinarily there will not be any law enforcement personnel in the polling place to identify a voter who may have outstanding child support payments due or warrants against him or her.
MYTH: If the voter is homeless and has no legal residence, the voter may not vote.
FACT: State registration laws may not discriminate against the homeless in voter registration as long as the homeless applicant for voter registration intends to remain in a locale and has either a place where he can receive messages or an effective mailing address. The homeless person will vote in the precinct where the applicant receives messages (e.g., rescue mission) or the precinct in which the applicant‘s effective mailing address is located.
MYTH: If the voter does not have their voter information card, the voter may not vote.
FACT: The voter information card is not necessary to vote. It is a helpful tool for the voter to know their districts & polling location.
MYTH: Voters will not be allowed to vote, even if you are in line before the polls close.
FACT: Any voter who is in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote. (See sections 100.011, Florida Statutes)
MYTH: You can return your voted Vote-by-Mail ballot to your polling place on Election Day.
FACT: Vote-by-Mail ballots can only be returned to the Supervisor of Elections office either in person by the voter or someone of their choice, or by mail. If you receive a Vote-by-Mail ballot and then decide to vote at the polls, you should take your Vote-by-Mail ballot with you and give it to the poll workers. If you do not have your Vote-by-Mail ballot with you, then the poll worker will contact the Elections Office to determine if the Vote-by-Mail ballot has been received by or returned to the Elections Office. If it is determined the ballot has not been received, you will be allowed to vote a regular ballot. If you do not have your ballot with you and the Elections Office is unable to determine if the ballot has been received of if the voter disagrees with their determination, the voter will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.
MYTH: Only the voter can request a Vote-by-Mail ballot, and it must always be done in writing.
FACT: The supervisor shall accept a request for a vote-by-mail ballot only from a voter or, if directly instructed by the voter, a member of the voter’s immediate family or the voter’s legal guardian. A request may be made in person, in writing, by telephone, or through the supervisor’s website or by using Form DS-DE 160 (Statewide Vote-by-Mail ballot Request Form. The law requires a written request signed by the voter if the request is to mail the Vote by Mail ballot to an address other than the legal residence or the mailing address on file.
EXCEPTION: An absent uniformed service voter or an overseas voter is not required to have signed, written request for the ballot to be mailed to an address other than the one on record.
The vote by mail request must be renewed at the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election for the voter to receive a Vote by Mail ballot. (F.S. 101.62)
MYTH: If you don't vote every two years, you lose your eligibility to vote.
FACT: A voter who has been sent an address confirmation final notice and did not return the postage prepaid confirmation form within 30 days or for whom the final notice was returned as undeliverable becomes inactive. If after two (federal) general elections, the inactive voter fails to vote, change/update his or her voter registration record, or request a vote-by-mail ballot, the inactive voter is removed no later than the end of the calendar year. An inactive voter remains eligible to vote until he or she is removed from the official list of registered voters. Removal of inactive voters does not occur during the 90-day window before a federal election.
MYTH: If you vote for too many candidates in a contest or don't vote in a race, your entire ballot won't count.
FACT: If you do not vote for any candidate or vote for more candidates than are allowed in a contest, only that contest will be affected; any other contests in which you vote for the allowed number of candidates will be counted. In addition, when early voting or voting at your polling place, the tabulators will alert you that you have over-voted in a race; this gives you the opportunity to request another ballot if you would like to correct the situation.
MYTH: You cannot vote if you are a convicted felon.
FACT: A felony conviction in Florida for murder or a sexual offense makes a person ineligible to vote in Florida unless and until the person’s right to vote is restored by the State Clemency Board. For any other felony conviction in Florida, a person is eligible to register and vote if they have completed all the terms their sentence.