Election Day is finally here, and while a large number of Floridians have already voted, there are things people going to the polling place in person need to know.
Before you go to vote, you should make sure that you have a valid identification with you that includes a photo and a signature. To find out which forms of ID are acceptable, go to the Florida Divisions of Elections website.
If you need to know more about what is on Florida’s ballots, visit Ballotpedia.org.
On Election Day, people voting-in person can only cast a ballot at their assigned polling location. You can find out where that is on your local county Supervisor of Elections’ website. There you can find your polling place, as well as a sample ballot.
If you opted for a mail-in ballot, it is not too late to get your vote in. Floridians can drop off ballots to their county’s elections offices until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Drop boxes are typically not permitted at polling places on Election Day.
As long as a ballot is received by the county supervisor of elections by 7 p.m. Tuesday, it will be counted.
When voting, the more informed you are, the better. People are allowed to bring notes, either on paper or electronically, into the voting booth.
This year, in-person voting comes with concerns and precautions because of the coronavirus pandemic.
While masks are not mandatory, elections officials are encouraging people to wear them inside polling places, which have also put into place such precautions as socially distanced lines and single-use pens or pencils.
Voting officials across the state are expecting a busy Election Day - but probably not as many people will vote in person as usual because of the pandemic. As of Monday morning, nearly nine million Floridians have already voted, either during early voting or vote-by mail.
That’s over 62 percent of the state’s 14.4 million registered voters.
Four years ago, almost 75 percent of the state’s registered voters cast ballots in the general election.
The modern record is 83 percent in 1992.
A winner is not expected to be declared on Election Day. On December 14, Electoral College electors cast their votes depending on the results from their states.
And on January 20, 2021, the terms of the sitting president and vice president will end at noon and the winner of the election will be inaugurated.
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