Here’s what you need to know about early voting

In this contentious election season, you may have thought this moment would never arrive: Early voting opened Monday across South Florida.

For those who remember the arduous early voting lines during the 2012 presidential election, here’s one comforting fact: South Floridians will have the longest window to vote allowed by the state. This year, in-person early voting has been expanded — there are more polling sites and the number of days and hours have lengthened — to better accommodate the crowds that presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could lure to the polls.

Miami-Dade and Broward are two of just nine counties — of the state’s 67 — that will offer the state’s allowable maximum of 168 hours of early voting over 14 days. In the last presidential election, Miami-Dade offered 96 hours over eight days. (The seven other counties offering 168 hours of early voting: Palm Beach, Pinellas, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Charlotte and Duval. Together, the nine counties cover nearly half of Florida’s approximately 12.66 million registered voters.)

Still, don’t wait until the last early voting day, Sunday, Nov. 6, in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and Saturday, Nov. 5, in Monroe County.

Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Christina White said presidential election turnout has typically been 67 to 72 percent but elections supervisors across the state are bracing for higher turnouts this year. In addition to more early-voting sites and more days, White said Miami-Dade’s polling locations are also larger, with more voting booths and more staff to serve voters. Because of this, and a much shorter ballot this year than in the last presidential election, she doesn’t expect a repeat of the long early-voting lines of 2012.

In Miami-Dade, about half of all voters typically vote early or by absentee ballot, White said. White advises voters to download a customized sample ballot and review it before hitting the polls, shortening the process on site. She also said www.miamidade.gov/elections will post estimated wait times for each station throughout the early-voting period and on Election Day, so voters will know what to expect. “As each day passes, more people vote early and the second week will be busier,” she said. “Don’t wait.”

Here’s the lowdown on early voting:

READ MORE: Voters’ Guide and campaign news

The presidential race tops the ballot, but depending on where you live, the general election also includes Senate and U.S. House seats, state legislative seats, judges, school boards, sheriffs, county commissioners and municipal elections, state constitutional amendments and local referendums. Find out more in the Miami Herald’s voters’ guide, which will be updated regularly through Election Day.

▪  Early voting stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 6, in Miami-Dade and Broward, and 8:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Nov. 5 in the Florida Keys. Voters can cast their ballots at any of the open precincts in the county where they are registered; there are 30 sites in Miami-Dade County and 21 in Broward (up from 20 and 17 respectively in 2012) and five in the Keys. If you are in line at 7 p.m. (or 5 p.m. in the Keys), you will get to vote.

In Miami-Dade, locate the three closest stations by your ZIP Code here.

▪  Review your customized sample ballot before heading to the polls. In Miami-Dade, registered voters can access sample ballots at http://www.miamidade.gov/elections/voter-information.asp by entering some basic information. To receive a customized sample ballot via email prior to each election, sign up by calling 305-499-VOTE (8683).

In Broward, enter your information at http://www.browardsoe.org/Voter-Information/Sample-Ballot.

▪  You must show a photo and signature identification. Acceptable forms of ID include: Florida driver license, Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway, Safety and Motor Vehicles, 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 and valid. You do not need to bring your voter ID card, and even if you do, a photo ID will be necessary.

▪  If you recently registered to vote and find that your name is not in the registration book, do not leave. Ask the election workers to call the county elections office and issue you a provisional ballot.

READ MORE: Miami Herald Editorial Board recommendations

▪  Don’t want to go to the polls at all? Voters have until Nov. 2 to request absentee ballots, which must be received by 7 p.m. Nov. 8 in order to count.

However, if you’ve requested and received an absentee ballot and you later decide to vote at the polls, you must bring your absentee ballot with you so that it can be canceled before you vote at the polls.

This story was originally published October 19, 2016 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Here’s what you need to know about early voting."