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Florida Election Day Voter Rights

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Here are answers to common questions about voting procedures in Florida.

What times are the polls open on election day?

Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on election day. Any voter who is standing in line at 7 p.m. is still eligible to cast a vote.

What kind of identification do I need to bring to the polls?

When you go to the polling place to vote, you will be asked to provide a current and valid picture identification with a signature. Approved forms of picture identification are: Florida driver’s 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; and public assistance identification. (Section 101.043, F.S.) If the picture identification does not contain a signature, you will be asked to provide an additional identification with your signature.

Can I still vote if I do not bring identification?

Yes. You should not be turned away from the polls because you do not bring identification. If you do not have the proper identification, you will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.

What happens if someone challenges my eligibility to vote at the polls?

If you are challenged on the basis that your legal residential address is not within the precinct, you will still have an opportunity to vote.

If you are challenged on any other grounds or your eligibility is questioned, you will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.

What else do I have to do if I vote a provisional ballot?

You will be provided a written notice of your rights as a provisional ballot voter. (Section 101.048, F.S.) You have the right to present further evidence of your eligibility if you want up to 2 days after the election. Depending on the reason why you voted a provisional ballot, there may no further need in order for your provisional ballot to count.

I have requested an absentee ballot and now I have changed my mind and want to vote at the polls. May I?

Yes. If you received your absentee ballot, you should return it, whether voted or not, to the poll workers on Election Day. Your absentee ballot will be voided and you will be allowed to vote a regular ballot at the polls.

Can I vote if I am a lawful permanent resident?

No. Only U.S. citizens can register or vote in Florida.

Can I vote if I have dual citizenship?

Yes as long as you have U.S. citizenship and are otherwise properly registered, you can vote.

Read more at the Florida Division of Elections.

Click on the link to identify your Election Supervisor by Florida County.

A Public Service Announcement from the Fort Lauderdale Law Firm of
Kahn & Resnik, P.L.

The Florida lawyers at Kahn & Resnik, P.L. are available to service your legal needs.

Our concierge approach to the practice of law reflects our philosophy of personalized and confidential attention. When you retain an attorney at Kahn & Resnik, P.L., we work efficiently and effectively to help you achieve your business and personal objectives.

We can assist you in legal matters relating to commercial litigation, divorce, disability law, real estate litigation, securities litigation, and corporate transactions.

We serve business owners, professionals and individual clients across Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Naples, Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and other cities throughout the state. Contact Howard N. Kahn, Esq. at 954-321-0176 or online.

Miami-Dade County Polling Stations to see Federal Observers

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The Justice Department announced today that its Civil Rights Division plans to deploy more than 780 federal observers and department personnel to 51 jurisdictions in 23 states, including Miami-Dade County and other Florida locations, for the Nov. 6, 2012, general election.

Although state and local governments have primary responsibility for administering elections, the Civil Rights Division is charged with enforcing the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot on Election Day.

Allegations of election fraud are handled by the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country and the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.  Complaints may be directed to any of the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the local FBI offices or the Public Integrity Section at 202-514-1412.

The observers and department personnel will gather information on, among other things, whether voters are subject to different voting qualifications or procedures on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group; whether jurisdictions are complying with the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act; whether jurisdictions permit voters to receive assistance by a person of his or her choice if the voter is blind, has a disability, or is unable to read or write; whether jurisdictions allow voters with disabilities to cast a private and independent ballot; whether jurisdictions comply with the voter registration list requirements of the National Voter Registration Act; and whether jurisdictions comply with the provisional ballot requirements of the Help America Vote Act.

To assist in these inquiries, the department has deployed observers and monitors who speak Spanish and a variety of Asian and Native American languages.  Both the federal observers and department personnel will coordinate monitoring activities, and department attorneys maintain contact with local election officials.

A Public Service Announcement from the Fort Lauderdale Law Firm of
Kahn & Resnik, P.L.

The Florida lawyers at Kahn & Resnik, P.L. are available to service your legal needs.

Our concierge approach to the practice of law reflects our philosophy of personalized and confidential attention. When you retain an attorney at Kahn & Resnik, P.L., we work efficiently and effectively to help you achieve your business and personal objectives.

We can assist you in legal matters relating to commercial litigation, divorce, disability law, real estate litigation, securities litigation, and corporate transactions.

We serve business owners, professionals and individual clients across Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Naples, Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and other cities throughout the state. Contact Howard N. Kahn, Esq. at 954-321-0176 or online.

Florida Ballot Amendment #5 on Supreme Court Justices

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The Florida League of Women Voters summarizes Amendment 5 as follows:

“This amendment adds a requirement that Supreme Court justices appointed by the Governor must also be confirmed by the Senate in order to take office. It also authorizes the repeal of a court rule by a simple majority of the legislature instead of the 2/3 majority now required. The amendment also would allow the House of Representatives to review all files of the Judicial Qualifications Commission without regard to whether the request is specifically related to impeachment considerations.”

The complete amendment, as published by the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, is a bit more technical. The full text is provided below.

Proposing a revision of Article V of the State Constitution relating to the judiciary.

The State Constitution authorizes the Supreme Court to adopt rules for the practice and procedure in all courts. The constitution further provides that a rule of court may be repealed by a general law enacted by a two-thirds vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature.

This proposed constitutional revision eliminates the requirement that a general law repealing a court rule pass by a two-thirds vote of each house, thereby providing that the Legislature may repeal a rule of court by a general law approved by a majority vote of each house of the Legislature that expresses the policy behind the repeal.

The court could readopt the rule in conformity with the public policy expressed by the Legislature, but if the Legislature determines that a rule has been readopted and repeals the readopted rule, this proposed revision prohibits the court from further readopting the repealed rule without the Legislature’s prior approval.

Under current law, rules of the judicial nominating commissions and the Judicial Qualifications Commission may be repealed by general law enacted by a majority vote of the membership of each house of the Legislature. Under this proposed revision, a vote to repeal those rules is changed to repeal by general law enacted by a majority vote of the legislators present.

Under current law, the Governor appoints a justice of the Supreme Court from a list of nominees provided by a judicial nominating commission, and appointments by the Governor are not subject to confirmation. This revision requires Senate confirmation of a justice of the Supreme Court before the appointee can take office. If the Senate votes not to confirm the appointment, the judicial nominating commission must reconvene and may not renominate any person whose prior appointment to fill the same vacancy was not confirmed by the Senate.

For the purpose of confirmation, the Senate may meet at any time. If the Senate fails to vote on the appointment of a justice within 90 days, the justice will be deemed confirmed and will take office.

The Judicial Qualifications Commission is an independent commission created by the State Constitution to investigate and prosecute before the Florida Supreme Court alleged misconduct by a justice or judge.

Currently under the constitution, commission proceedings are confidential until formal charges are filed by the investigative panel of the commission. Once formal charges are filed, the formal charges and all further proceedings of the commission are public.

Currently, the constitution authorizes the House of Representatives to impeach a justice or judge. Further, the Speaker of the House of Representatives may request, and the Judicial Qualifications Commission must make available, all information in the commission’s possession for use in deciding whether to impeach a justice or judge.

This proposed revision requires the commission to make all of its files available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives but provides that such files would remain confidential during any investigation by the House of Representatives and until such information is used in the pursuit of an impeachment of a justice or judge.

This revision also removes the power of the Governor to request files of the Judicial Qualifications Commission to conform to a prior constitutional change. This revision also makes technical and clarifying additions and deletions relating to the selection of chief judges of a circuit and relating to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, and makes other non-substantive conforming and technical changes in the judicial article of the constitution.

A Public Service Announcement from the Fort Lauderdale Law Firm of
Kahn & Resnik, P.L.

The Florida lawyers at Kahn & Resnik, P.L. are available to service your legal needs.

Our concierge approach to the practice of law reflects our philosophy of personalized and confidential attention. When you retain an attorney at Kahn & Resnik, P.L., we work efficiently and effectively to help you achieve your business and personal objectives.

We can assist you in legal matters relating to commercial litigation, divorce, disability law, real estate litigation, securities litigation, and corporate transactions.

We serve business owners, professionals and individual clients across Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Naples, Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and other cities throughout the state. Contact Howard N. Kahn, Esq. at 954-321-0176 or online.

Miami-Dade County Early Voting Locations

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Miami residents can vote early in the presidential elections from Saturday, October 27th through Saturday, November 3rd. Early voting locations are open daily during this time from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Early Voting Locations in Miami-Dade County

Aventura Government Center
19200 W Country Club Drive
(2nd Floor Commission Area)

City of Miami – City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
(Entrance is located at the northeast side of the building – ADA entrance is through the front door of City Hall)

Coral Gables Library
3443 Segovia Street

Coral Reef Library
9211 SW 152nd Street

Elections Department (SOE Main Office)
2700 NW 87th Avenue

Florida City – City Hall
404 West Palm Drive
(Commission Chambers)

John F. Kennedy Library
190 West 49th Street

Kendall Branch Library
9101 SW 97th Avenue

Lemon City Library
430 NE 61st Street
(Reading Room)

Miami Beach City Hall
1700 Convention Center Drive

Miami Lakes Public Library
6699 Windmill Gate Road

Model City Library @ Caleb Center
2211 NW 54th Street

North Dade Regional Library
2455 NW 183rd Street

North Miami Public Library
835 NE 132nd Street

North Shore Branch Library
7501 Collins Avenue
(Program Room)

South Dade Regional Library
10750 SW 211th Street

Stephen P. Clark Gov’t Center
(SOE Branch Office)
111 NW 1st Street (Lobby)

West Dade Regional Library
9445 SW 24th Street

West Flagler Branch Library
5050 West Flagler Street

West Kendall Regional Library
10201 Hammocks Boulevard

Visit the link below for more information
http://www.miamidade.gov/elections/vote_early.asp

A Public Service Announcement from the Fort Lauderdale Law Firm of
Kahn & Resnik, P.L.

The Florida lawyers at Kahn & Resnik, P.L. are available to service your legal needs.

Our concierge approach to the practice of law reflects our philosophy of personalized and confidential attention. When you retain an attorney at Kahn & Resnik, P.L., we work efficiently and effectively to help you achieve your business and personal objectives.

We can assist you in legal matters relating to commercial litigation, divorce, disability law, real estate litigation, securities litigation, and corporate transactions.

We serve business owners, professionals and individual clients across Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Naples, Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and other cities throughout the state. Contact Howard N. Kahn, Esq. at 954-321-0176 or online.

Broward County Early Voting Locations

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Residents of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and surrounding Broward County cities can vote in any one of almost 20 early voting locations. Many regional libraries are serving as early voting sites. Check the location that is most convenient for you.

The Broward County early voting schedule for the presidential election is as follows:

Saturday, October 27, 2012 to Saturday, November 3, 2012
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Click to view Broward County early voting locations

In case you are curious, here is the number of registered voters by party in Broward County as of today’s date:

  • Democrat: 588,956
  • Republican: 258,683
  • Other: 283,688
  • Total: 1,131,327

If you have questions about your Broward County voter registration, contact:

Supervisor of Elections Dr. Brenda C. Snipes
Main Office & Mailing Address:
115 S. Andrews Ave., Rm 102
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Days: Monday to Friday
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Broward County cities, towns, and villages include: Coconut Creek, Cooper City, Coral Springs, Dania Beach, Davie, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hillsboro Beach, Hollywood, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Lazy Lake, Lighthouse Point, Margate, Miramar, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Parkland, Pembroke Park, Pembroke Pines, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Sea Ranch Lakes, Southwest Ranches, Sunrise, Tamarac, West Park, Weston, and Wilton Manors.

A Public Service Announcement from the Fort Lauderdale Law Firm of
Kahn & Resnik, P.L.

The Florida lawyers at Kahn & Resnik, P.L. are available to service your legal needs.

Our concierge approach to the practice of law reflects our philosophy of personalized and confidential attention. When you retain an attorney at Kahn & Resnik, P.L., we work efficiently and effectively to help you achieve your business and personal objectives.

We can assist you in legal matters relating to commercial litigation, divorce, disability law, real estate litigation, securities litigation, and corporate transactions.

We serve business owners, professionals and individual clients across Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Naples, Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and other cities throughout the state. Contact Howard N. Kahn, Esq. at 954-321-0176 or online.