Double Checking Your FL Voter Registration Is Vital This Year. Here’s How To Do It.

The election is less than 35 days away—make sure all your information is up-to-date before voting.

With Election Day fast approaching on Nov. 3, verifying that your voter registration is updated is an important step in preparing for the polls.

For peace of mind, you can check your voting status at your county’s Supervisor of Elections office.

“At the office, you can check if you’re an active voter, if your address is correct, and if your signature is the one you’re currently using,” Ricardo Negrón, legal service coordinator of Latino Justice, told The Americano.

According to Negrón, if your signature on the registry is different from the one you currently use, your ballot could be invalidated, especially if you are voting by mail. 

You can check at the local electoral office’s website whether your voting status is active and if your address appears correctly, but how your signature appears has to be checked in person, Negrón clarified. This would only be a concern if the voter has recently changed the way they sign their name.

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If the voter’s name has changed because of recent marriage or any other reason, going to the electoral office would be in order to update the registry information, Negrón said.

“It’s important for the voter to verify their name in the registry and make sure it matches the way it appears on the identification they will use for voting,” the coordinator explained. “When you go to vote, the name on your ID will be checked against the registry to make sure it is the same person.” 

Negrón said that in most cases, when people change their name they also update their license in the Department of Motor Vehicles. The agency will also update the name in the electoral registry if requested.

Having the registry reflect a current address is also important. If the voter moved within the county and did not change their address at an electoral office, they will have the opportunity to change it at the polls on Election Day.

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“To change the address, the polling place needs to have an electronic poll book. Almost all polling stations have one, so voters can change their address there,” said Negrón.

Monday, Oct. 5 is the last day for new voters to register. The early voting period goes from Oct. 19 to Nov. 2.

“Early voting starts in several weeks, but mail-in ballots are already being sent. Whoever needs one can request their ballot now,” Negrón said.