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Early voting for the presidential election in Florida ends Saturday

Posted on by Kennedy
Early voting for the presidential election in Florida ends Saturday

Early voting for Florida's Nov. 5 general election will officially close Saturday for the majority of the state's 67 counties. Last-minute voters must cast their vote in person on Election Day or ensure their absentee ballot is received by polls closing at 7 p.m

Nearly 20 counties have extended early voting until Sunday due to the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

So far, fewer than half of Florida's 14 million registered voters have done so. In the 2020 general election, 9,187,898 Floridians voted early or by mail. As of Friday, 914,270 postal ballots had not been returned.

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Republicans were nearly twice as likely to vote early as Democrats, while only slightly more Democrats voted by mail compared to Republicans. However, the election could go to independents in the Sunshine State as 1,364,203 voters have cast their ballots so far.

There is still time to make sure your voice is heard in the 2024 presidential election on November 5th. Here's what you should know.

When does early voting end in Florida?

In most Florida counties, early voting ends at 7 p.m. Saturday, as required by state and federal law. There are 17 counties that have requested an extension so residents can cast their vote as early as Sunday.

  • Alachua: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m
  • Bradford: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m
  • Broward: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m
  • Charlotte: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Due to Hurricane Milton, early voting at the historic courthouse has been moved to the Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center)
  • Duval: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m
  • Gadsden: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
  • Hillsborough: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m
  • Leon: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, most locations open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Leon County Courthouse open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m
  • Raise: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m
  • Miami-Dade: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m
  • Orange: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m
  • Osceola: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m
  • Palm beach: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m
  • Polk: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m
  • Sarasota: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Note some polling locations have changed due to Milton)
  • Seminole: Oct. 21 – Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m
  • Saint Lucie: Oct. 21st – Nov. 2nd, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., November 3rd, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m

Click here for a complete list of early voting locations in Florida County.

What do I need to vote early in Florida?

The only thing you need to bring to vote early in Florida is a valid photo ID with a signature. Of course, you must also be a registered voter.

Acceptable forms include:

  • Florida driver's license or identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
  • US passport
  • Debit or credit card
  • Military ID
  • Student ID card
  • ID of the retirement home
  • Neighborhood association ID
  • Social assistance card
  • Veterans Health Card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Permission to carry a concealed weapon or firearm
  • Employee identification card issued by the federal government, the state of Florida, or a county or municipality

Voter turnout in Florida so far

Here's a snapshot of early and absentee voting turnout in Florida as of 8:12 a.m. Friday:

Voting via email numbers

  • Republicans: 923,497
  • Democrat: 1,091,810
  • Other: 55,372
  • NPA: 539,233
  • Total: 2,609,912

Early voting numbers

  • Republicans: 2,072,374
  • Democrat: 1,126,301
  • Other: 98,403
  • NPA: 824,970
  • Total: 4,122,048

Total number of voters

  • Republicans: 2,995,871
  • Democrat: 2,218,171
  • Other: 153,775
  • NPA: 1,364,203
  • Total: 6,732,020

Want to see the breakdown in your county?

Can convicted felons vote in Florida? Yes, but it's complicated. Here's what you should know

Early voting and vote-by-mail tallies in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties

Here's a breakdown of how voters in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties voted in the 2024 presidential election.

Escambia County – 96,506 votes so far

  • Vote by mail: 29,430
    • Republicans: 12,976
    • Democrats: 11,273
    • Other: 601
    • NPA: 4,580
  • Early in-person voting: 67,076
    • Republicans: 38,994
    • Democrats: 17,080
    • Other: 1,469
    • NPA: 9,533

Santa Rosa County – 70,163 votes so far

  • Vote by mail: 14,287
    • Republican:7,551
    • Democrats: 4,036
    • Other: 343
    • NPA: 2,357
  • Early in-person voting: 55,876
    • Republicans: 40,143
    • Democrats: 6,856
    • Other: 1,224
    • NPA: 7,653

How does voter turnout compare to the 2020 presidential election?

According to Pew Research, voter turnout in Florida in the 2020 presidential election was a whopping 71.8%, which is 5.8% higher than the national average.

Voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election:

  • On election day: 1,942,102 (17.4%)
  • Postal votes: 4,546,895 (40.9%)
  • Early in-person voting: 4,332,912 (38.9%)

Voter turnout in the 2024 presidential election (so far):

  • Postal votes: 2,609,912
  • Early in-person voting: 4,122,048

Will we know the results on election night in Florida?

There's a pretty good chance we won't just take a look at Florida's election results on election night and have enough votes to determine the winners. Florida will begin tabulating its results as soon as it receives a ballot, giving it a head start before Tuesday.

In 2020, nearly 80% of Florida voters cast their ballots before Election Day, so results should be available fairly quickly. However, only ballot papers are to be taken into account.

Absent military members and citizens abroad have up to 10 days to have their ballots delivered, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.

Provisional ballots cast in elections by voters without valid identification or with minor errors that have since been corrected must be submitted by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Contributors: CA Bridges, Cheryl McCloud – USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida

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