National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan civic holiday celebrating our democracy. According to U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register. National Voter Registration Day wants to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote. First observed in 2012, it has quickly gained momentum ever since. Nearly 4.7 million voters have registered to vote on the holiday to date!
Voting Eligibility
To be eligible to register and vote in Alachua County, Florida, you must be:
- 18 years of age (A person may pre-register on or after their 16th birthday, but must be 18 to vote.)
- a citizen of the United States
- a legal resident of Florida
- a legal resident of Alachua County
The deadline to register to vote is 29 days before any election. You can update your registration record at any time, but for a Primary Election, party changes must be completed 29 days before that election. This year's general election will take place on November 8, making the deadline to register October 11. If you would like to participate during the early voting period, you will need to register by the end of September. Your Voter Information Card will be mailed to you once you are registered!
The deadline to request that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5 p.m. on October 29, 10 days before the election. A vote-by-mail ballot must be returned and received by the Supervisor of Elections no later than 7 p.m. on election day in order to be counted.
How to Register
Online
- Register to vote or update your registration by visiting RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov. To submit an online application you will need:
- Your FL driver license or FL identification card issued by the FL Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles
- The issued date of your FL driver license or FL ID card
- The last four digits of your Social Security Number.
- If you do not have any of this information, you may still use the online system to prefill a voter registration application form. However, you will have to print, sign, and then mail or deliver your completed voter registration application to the county Supervisor of Elections' office or your local library branch
- You can download the Florida Voter Registration Application (English PDF | Español PDF) and fill it out at home. You can mail or deliver your application to the Supervisor of Elections' office directly or drop off your application at your local library branch.
- Pick up a Voter Registration Application Form at locations throughout Alachua County, including your local library branch. You can mail or deliver your application to the Supervisor of Elections' office directly or bring it to the front desk of any branch in the Alachua County Library District.
- Register to vote or update your registration in person at the library, directly at the Supervisor of Elections' office, or at any designated voter registration agency. You can also do so at any community voter registration drives!
If you're unsure whether or not you need to update your voter registration for any reason, you can check your current voter registration status through the Florida Department of State's Voter Information Lookup.
Wondering which precinct you'll go to on election day? Find out with the Alachua County Precinct Finder's search tool.
Original source can be found here.
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