It’s Election Day, and here is a last-minute guide on what you need to know to vote
Today is your final chance to cast a ballot in this 2020 presidential election. Here is what you need to know before you vote:
Election Day voting
▪ You must vote at your assigned precinct. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are in line by the cutoff time, you will be allowed to vote.
▪ Know where to go. Check your voter’s registration card. Or go to your county Supervisor of Elections’ website or use the Florida Division of Election’s Voter Information Lookup page and input your name and birth date. Or call Miami-Dade at 305-499-8683 or Broward at 954-357-7050. Monroe County has a precinct finder on its website.
▪ Bring a valid ID. It can be your Florida driver’s license or state-issued ID card or many other forms of identification that include a passport, debit or credit card, student ID, public assistance ID, military ID. If you forget it, you will be given a provisional ballot. See the Florida Division of Elections website for other valid IDs.
▪ Wear a mask due to COVID-19. Poll workers may have some masks to hand out in case you forgot yours.
Your vote-by-mail ballot
▪ Have a vote-by-mail ballot and didn’t use it? You can still vote. But you can’t show up at your precinct and drop it into a box. You can ask a poll worker to “spoil” or cancel your vote-by-mail ballot. It will be discarded and then you can vote there in person.
▪ You can still drop off your mail-in ballot. But it has to be at one of four main locations in Miami-Dade or two in Broward.
▪ The locations in Miami-Dade: Elections Department Main Office, 2700 NW 87th Ave.; Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW First St.; North Dade Regional Library, 2455 NW 183rd St.; South Dade Regional Library, 10750 SW 211th St.
▪ In Broward: Lauderhill Mall Voting Equipment Center, 1501 NW 40th Ave.; Supervisor of Elections Office at 115 S. Andrews Ave.
▪ In Monroe: Supervisor of Elections Office, 530 Whitehead St. #101, Key West; Supervisor of Elections Office, 10015 Overseas Highway, Marathon; Supervisor of Elections Office, 102050 Overseas Highway #137, Key Largo.
Getting assistance
▪ Have an issue that makes it difficult to cast your ballot yourself? You can tell a poll worker you need assistance and would like to register a person as your assistant by filling out a declaration. That person can be a family member, friend or guardian. Everyone needs an ID.
▪ What if you are sick or have an emergency? You can still get a ballot and have it accepted on Election Day. You can have a designee request and return a vote-by-mail ballot for you at one of the county election main offices. The designee and voter have to complete a form in English, Spanish or Creole, and the voter provides a written request containing specific information found on a Vote-by-Mail Ballot Request Policy and a Vote-by-Mail Return Policy.
Provisional ballots
▪ A provisional ballot is given to voters who say they are properly registered in the state and that they’re eligible to vote at the precinct in a particular election, but their eligibility cannot be determined right away.
Have more questions? Visit the Florida Division of Elections website at https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/contacts/frequently-asked-questions/faq-voting/
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
