St. PETERSBURG — All Florida voters can make their voices heard in the Nov. 8 midterm election, with early voting options starting in every Florida county on Saturday, Oct. 29 through Nov. 5.

Voters can cast a ballot in-person or by mail. Florida allows counties to begin in-person early voting as early as Monday, Oct. 24 and to extend it through Sunday, Nov. 6.

Early voting will be available around the lake:

Okeechobee County: Supervisor of Elections Office, Historic Okeechobee County Courthouse, 304 N.W. Second St., Okeechobee.

Glades County: Supervisor of Elections Office, 998 U.S. Highway 27 S., Moore Haven, use rear entrance.

Hendry County:  Supervisor of Elections Office, 25 E. Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle  and Supervisor of Elections Office, 1100 S. Olympia Street, Suite 504, Clewiston.

Western Palm Beach County:  Belle Glade Branch Library, 725 N.W. Fourth Street, Belle Glade;  Supervisor of Elections West County Branch, 2976 State Road 15, second floor, Belle Glade.

“In a strong and healthy democracy, every voter’s voice is heard, and every voice counts equally,” said Amy Keith, Common Cause Florida’s program director. “Early voting improves access for all hardworking voters, especially for our home health workers, teachers, and service workers who can’t always make it to the polls on Election Day. We want to encourage everyone to vote early and all the way down the ballot this year so we all have a say in what happens in the Sunshine State.”

In Florida, early voting must be held in every county from Saturday, Oct. 29 through Saturday, Nov. 5. .

Florida does not allow same-day voter registration during the early voting periods. That means only registered voters can take part in the Nov. 8 election.

This election will also be more complicated for voters, given the catastrophic damages some parts of the state experienced from Hurricane Ian just a few weeks before early voting starts statewide on Oct. 29. That comes on top of significant changes to election laws over the last two years that may make it more difficult for some people to vote. In addition, the recent redistricting process means that many voters may have new precincts and voting locations.

There is no deadline to update your voting address in Florida. Registered Florida voters can update their address at any early voting location in the county where they now live or at the Election Day polling place for their new residence, Keith said. People displaced by the storm can also have their local supervisor of elections office send a vote-by-mail ballot to a temporary address where they are currently staying.

Nationally, in 2020 the electorate broke early voting records with nearly 70% of voters casting a ballot by mail and/or before Election Day. 

Voter Information for the 2022 Primary Election

There are three different ways that registered Florida voters can vote: by mail, in-person at early voting sites in their county, or in-person at their assigned polling location on Nov. 8, Election Day.

Voters who have any questions about the voting process or encounter problems can contact the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.

Those who choose to vote by mail must:

• Request a vote-by-mail ballot through their county Supervisor of Elections office.
• Sign the back of the ballot envelope.
• Make sure the ballot is received by their county election office by 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 8 . (Postmark date is not enough)

If there is a problem with the voter’s signature on their vote-by-mail ballot, the voter has until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 to submit the paperwork to correct their signature.

People can also vote early in-person at county early voting sites.

• Statewide early voting is between Saturday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 5, though some counties have early voting beginning Oct. 24 and running through Nov. 6 Voters can look up early voting locations, dates and times through their county elections office here.
• Voters can use any early voting site in their county to vote in-person or drop vote-by-mail ballots in Secure Ballot Intake Stations.
• Voters must provide a valid photo/signature ID to vote in-person in Florida during early voting or on election day. There are 12 acceptable forms of ID, with the list available at: https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/for-voters/voting/election-day-voting/.

Those who want to vote in-person on Tuesday, Nov. 8, Election Day must:

• Bring valid (non-expired) photo/signature ID.
• Vote at the correct precinct for their current residence. Voters can look up their precincts at: https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/for-voters/check-your-voter-status-and-polling-place/voter-precinct-lookup/.
• Arrive at the polls during voting hours. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Any voter in line to vote at 7 p.m. must be allowed to vote.