JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you’re not registered to vote by the end of the day Monday, you won’t get to help decide if Donald Trump will get another four years in the White House or Joe Biden will be our next president. Not to mention having a say in many other state and local races this year.
Both Florida and Georgia “close” their voter rolls 28 days before any election.
“We are expecting a big crowd,” said Duval County Supervisor of Election Mike Hogan, who added eight extra workers Monday to handle the load.
To be eligible you must be a US citizen, a resident of the state and resident of the county you want to be registered and at least 18 years old.
“If we don’t vote, we can’t complain about anything,” voter Paula Boyett said. “Our voice is our vote, and our vote is our voice.”
Registering is a quick process that can be completed online in both Florida and Georgia. You can also use to links to check that your registration is current, request a ballot by mail, find out where you vote and even learn which congressional, legislative and local districts you live in so you’ll can use our Voter’s Guide to learn who will be on your ballot.
You can also print a registration form from the state elections website or pick one up at their local supervisor of elections office, most public libraries and driver’s license offices. It will count for this election if it is postmarked on Monday.
“The registration form has to be filled out completely,” Hogan said. “Don’t be one of those who left something off. If you have your ID card, that’s perfect because you can read your driver’s license number off of it because that is one of the things you’re going to have to have. If you don’t have a driver’s license -- a Florida driver’s license -- you can use your Social Security number. Be prepared. The form is not that difficult, it will just take a little bit of time.”
You can also change your party affiliation online, although that doesn’t change whether or not you can vote in a general election. To change your address does require submission of a form, which can be done up to and including election day.
As of the last data posted by the Florida Division of Elections, there were 14,065,627 voters registered in Florida, with Democrats making up 37% of those voters, edging out the Republican’s 36%. Voters with no political affiliation now represent 26% of all Florida voters.
Democrats used to have a larger lead in registered voters, although they have little to show for it in recent statewide elections. Both parties have been pushing hard to get voters registered before the deadline. The voters have picked a Democratic governor for 30 years. And while President Barak Obama won Florida in both his elections, Republicans won every other presidential race in the state since Bill Clinton in 1996.
And Florida is famous for its razor-thin margins, with three of the last five presidential races won by less than 1%.