A. The Universal Primary Contest was created as a result of Constitution Revision No. 11 that was approved in 1998. This amendment allows for all voters, regardless of party, to vote in any party's primary election, if the winner will not have opposition in the general election.

A. This is a candidate who qualified in a manner that does not allow for his/her name to appear on the ballot. However, a space is provided for the candidate's name to be written on the general election ballot. A person qualifying as a write-in candidate is not required to pay a filing fee, election assessment, or party assessment.

A. Yes. Please complete a voter registration application to facilitate the transfer of your registration. Please use this link for this process.

A. No, there is no length of residency requirement in the State of Florida. However, you must be registered at least 29 days before you can vote in an election. The date your voter registration application is postmarked or hand delivered to the elections office or other official registration site will be your registration date.

A. If your application is complete and you are qualified as a voter, a voter information card will be mailed to you. You can use the "Verify Voter Registration Status" link to verify your status. If your application was incomplete, you will be notified by the elections office to provide the missing information. Your application is not processed until the date that the missing information is received.

A. No, you can register in any party you choose or register with no party affiliation. An applicant who does not designate a political party affiliation on their application will be registered without party affiliation.

A. No, Florida is a closed primary state. Only voters who are registered members of the two major political parties (Republicans/Democrats) may vote for their respective parties' candidates in a primary election. However, the Florida Constitution provides that if all candidates have the same party affiliation and the winner will have no opposition in the general election, all qualified voters, regardless of party affiliation, may vote in the primary election for that office. This is known as a Universal Primary Contest. It is also important to remember that judicial and school board offices are nonpartisan and are included in primary elections, as well as local referendum questions. All registered voters, including those without party affiliation and minor political party voters are entitled to vote on all of these offices and questions. At general elections, all voters receive the same ballot and may vote for any candidate or question on their ballot.

A. You may call the elections office with change of address information. You may also write to the elections office or complete the information on the back of your voter identification card with your change of residence or mailing address, name change or choice of party affiliation change and mail it to the Supervisor of Elections. Additionally, you can use this link to make your address change.

A. Use the "Elector's Request for Disqualification Form" to process this request.

A. At all elections, a voter claiming to be properly registered in the county and eligible to vote at the precinct in the election, but whose eligibility cannot be determined, shall be entitled to cast a provisional ballot.

A. Yes, upon request, a need for assistance at the polls may be designated on an elector's registration record. The elector can designate someone of his or her choice, other than an employer or an officer or agent of the person's union. Election officials may also provide assistance.

A. Florida law states that you must vote in the precinct in which you live.

A. An over-vote means that the voter marks or designates more names than there are persons to be elected to an office or designates more than one answer to a ballot question. In the case of an over-vote, the tabulator would record no vote for the office or question.

A. An under-vote means that the voter does not properly designate any choice for an office or ballot question and the tabulator records no vote for the office or question.

A. One hundred (100) feet from the entrance of the polling room.

A. 7:00 am to 7:00 pm

A. In a primary election, candidates are listed alphabetically (except for circuit court judges who are determined by lot conducted by the State Director of the Division of Elections.) In a general election, the names of the candidates of the party that received the highest number of votes for Governor in the last election shall be placed first under the heading for each office; then, the names of the candidates of the party that received the second highest vote for Governor shall be second. Minor political party candidates and candidates with no party affiliation shall have their names appear on the general election ballot following the names of recognized political parties, in the same order as they were certified. - Florida Statutes 101.151(3)(a)(b)

A. Sample ballots will be mailed to each registered voter before the start of Early Voting. They will also be published in the local newspaper the week prior to each election. Click here to find your sample ballot for a current election.

A. Yes, you may take the sample ballot into the voting booth with you. Be sure that you take it with you when you leave the polling room.

A. Up to $500 per election. This amount includes in-kind contributions.

A. An in-kind contribution is anything of value made for the purpose of influencing the results of an election.

Example - giving lumber to a candidate to build signs for his or her campaign or providing office space at no charge or a lesser charge.

A. A candidate may not accept contributions in cash or by means of a cashier's check in excess of $50.

A. Yes

A. Requests for absentee ballots are accepted beginning in January of the year in which the elections are to be held.

A. Call the election office, OR mail request to this office, OR stop by the election office OR make your request online.

A. Only the voter, a member of the voter's immediate family, or the legal guardian may request an absentee ballot. A requester other than the voter must provide his/her name, address, drivers license (if available) and relationship to the voter, and must have permission from the voter to make such request.

A. A registered voter may pick up an absentee ballot at any Supervisor of Elections office with picture identification. A person could also vote early during the designated Early Voting period.

A. An absentee ballot can be counted only if it is received in the Supervisor's office by 7:00 p.m. election day.

A. If you do, you will be required to turn in that ballot and then you will be issued an election day ballot that you can complete and cast at your precinct.

A. Up until 7pm on election day you can turn it in at the main elections' office in Tavares.

A. Yes, however, only IF your civil rights in reference to voting have been restored. If you are unsure if those rights have been restored, contact The Office of Executive Clemency

A. Yes. However, you must determine which place you want to be your legal residence. You cannot be registered in two places at once.

A. Yes. In Florida, voter registration records are open to the public and may be examined, but not duplicated or sold commercially by anyone. Only government agencies, candidates, registered political committees, registered political committees of continuous existence, political parties, and incumbent officeholders may request voter registration information in a list format.

Note: No person who acquires such a list, shall use any information contained therein for purposes, which are not related to elections, political or governmental activities, voter registration, or law enforcement. (section 98.095 Florida Statutes)

A. For voting purposes, your "legal voting residence" can be the state or territory where you last resided prior to entering military service or the state or territory that you have since claimed as your legal residence. To claim a new legal residence you must have simultaneous physical presence and the intent to return to that location as your primary residence. Military and family members may change their legal residence every time they change permanent duty stations or they may retain their legal residence without change. Family members may have a different legal voting residence from the member. A legal officer should be consulted before legal residence is changed because there are usually other factors that should be considered besides voting. Be sure to enter the complete address of your legal voting residence, including street or rural route and number, when completing the residence section of the FPCA. Even though you may no longer maintain formal ties such as property ownership to that residence, the address is needed to place you in a proper voting district, ward, precinct or parish.

Military personnel may apply for voter registration or request absentee ballots with a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) which may be obtained from the Unit Voting Officer or the Service or State Department Voting Action Officer. If an FPCA is not available, an FPCA may be downloaded from the internet. Refer to Federal Voting Assistance Program website for further form instructions.

Federal Postcard Application

Federal portions of general election and presidential preference primary ballots voted by persons outside the U.S. are counted if postmarked no later than election day and received within 10 days of the election.

Additional military election information is available from:
Director of Federal Voting Assistance Program
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Washington Headquarters Services
1155 Defense Pentagon
Washington , D.C. 20301-1155
FVAP Fax (703) 588-0108
Email vote@fvap.ncr.gov
Toll-free 800-438-8683

A. Military members may vote in the state or territory where stationed if they change their legal residence to that state or territory, even if they live on a military installation. Be advised that there are legal obligations that may be incurred, such as taxation, if you change your state or territory of residence. Therefore, consult a legal officer before making such a decision. At the present time, there are no provisions for personnel stationed outside the United States to vote, in person, where stationed.

A. The law entitles eligible family members of military personnel to vote absentee. Family members are considered to be in the same category of absentee voter as military members and generally should follow the same procedures. Family members of military personnel residing overseas, who are U.S. citizens and who have never resided in the U.S. , usually claim a U. S. citizen parent's legal state of residence as their own.

A. Your "legal state of residence" for voting purposes is the state or territory where you last resided immediately prior to your departure from the United States . This right extends to overseas citizens even though they may not have property or other ties in their last state or territory of residence and their intent to return to that state or territory may be uncertain. When completing the FPCA"s Voting Residence section, be sure to enter the entire mailing address of your last residence, including street or rural route and number. This information is necessary to place you in the proper voting district, ward, precinct or parish. Family members of citizens residing overseas, who are U.S. citizens and who have never resided in the U.S. , usually, if the state allows, claim one of their U.S. citizen parent's legal state or territory of residence as their own. Check Chapter 3 of the Guide.

A. Exercising your right to vote in elections for Federal offices only, does not affect the determination of residence or domicile for purposes of any tax imposed under Federal, state, or local law. Voting in an election for Federal office only, may not be used as the sole basis to determine residency for the purpose of imposing state and local taxes. If you claim a particular state or territory as your residence and have other ties with that state or territory in addition to voting, then you may be liable for state and local taxation, depending upon the laws of that particular state or territory. Consult the Guide or a legal advisor for information on probable tax obligations.

A. At the present time, there are no provisions for in-person voting or on-site registration to be conducted at U.S. embassies or consulates. U.S. embassy and consular officials will assist U.S. citizens in completing FPCA forms for their state, witness or notarize FPCA forms and ballots (if required), and provide other absentee voting information. U.S. embassy and consulate locations serve also as a mailing point. FPCA forms and other election materials may be mailed back, postage paid, to your local voting jurisdiction in the U.S. where absentee registration and ballot requests are processed.