TOP TEN THINGS EVERY
FLORIDA VOTER
PROTECTION ADVOCATE
SHOULD KNOW 2014
1. VOTERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO
AN ASSISTOR OF THEIR CHOICE
A voter has the right to assistance in
voting, including for the reasons of
blindness, disability, limited English
proficiency, or inability to read or write.
The assistor must not be their employer
or union representative. A voter
protection advocate can also assist any
voter who asks him or her for help, and
may alert a poll worker to provide
assistance to elderly or distressed voters
in line.
2. ANY BALLOTS CAST IN THE
WRONG PRECINCT WILL NOT
BE COUNTED.
Voter Protection Advocates must make
every effort to assist voters in
determining their correct precinct. If a
voter is in the wrong precinct, direct the
voter to a poll worker who will
determine the correct precinct and
provide directions. If a poll worker is
not available, the advocate or voter can
use a smart phone to access the Florida
Division of Elections Website at:
http://registration.elections.myflorida.co
m/CheckVoterStatus and follow the
instructions on “Check Your Voter
Status” to determine his/her correct
precinct.
3. VOTERS NOT ON THE VOTER
ROLLS CAN STILL VOTE
If a voter is not found on the voter rolls,
the voter must make sure a poll worker
has carefully and thoroughly checked
the precinct register to verify the
spelling of the voter’s name. If, after a
thorough check of the precinct register,
the voter is still not located, the poll
worker should direct the voter to the
“help desk” at the precinct or call the
Supervisor of Elections office to locate
the voter. If the voter is not found on
the rolls instruct the voter that they can
still vote a provisional ballot.
4. PROVISIONAL BALLOTS ARE A
LAST RESORT.
Voting by regular ballot is preferred. If
the voter is not located on the voter
rolls, and if a poll worker concludes that
the voter cannot vote by regular ballot
then the voter should accept a
provisional ballot. Advocates should
inform all provisional voters that they
may present written evidence of their
eligibility to vote to the supervisor’s
office by 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday
after the election in order to ensure their
ballot is counted. If a voter voted
provisionally solely because she failed
to bring identification with her to the
polls, she need not (but may) provide
additional evidence of eligibility to
ensure that her provisional ballot will be
counted.
5. MANY FORMS OF
IDENTIFICATION ARE
ACCEPTABLE.
All voters are required to show one or a
combination of the following valid
photo identifications as long as they
contain a picture and signature: 1)
Florida driver’s license, 2) Florida
identification card, 3) U.S. passport, 4)
debit or credit card, 5) military
identification, 6) student identification,
7) retirement center identification, 8)
neighborhood association identification,
or 9) public assistance identification. If a
voter’s ID does not include a signature,
the voter must produce additional
identification that bears his or her
signature from the list above.
If the signature on the identification
does not appear to match the signature
on the precinct register, a poll worker
should instruct the voter to complete an
affidavit affirming the voter’s identity
and qualification to vote in the county,
and the poll worker should give the
voter a regular ballot.
worker must give the voter a regular
ballot.
If the voter has not brought an absentee
ballot to the polls and the poll worker is
unable to determine if the absentee
ballot was received, the poll worker
must issue a provisional ballot.
6. VOTERS WHO MOVED MUST
VOTE IN THEIR NEW PRECINCT.
Voters who have moved must vote in
the precinct that serves their new
address. A voter can change his or her
address on Election Day and vote a
regular ballot if the Supervisor of
Elections has an Electronic Poll
Register. If the county does not use
Electronic Poll Registers, a voter can
step outside the polling place, call the
Supervisor of Elections office, and
initiate an address change. After the
address change is complete, the voter
should re-enter the polling place and
continue the voter verification process
and vote a regular ballot.
9. TAKE ALL COMPLAINTS OF
VOTER INTIMIDATION
SERIOUSLY AND DO NOT
ALLOW POLL WATCHERS TO
INTIMIDATE VOTERS.
If anyone tells you that voters are being
intimidated, immediately call the help
line or the supervisor’s office. Poll
watchers are only allowed to observe the
process. They may not ask voters for
their ID or interact directly with voters.
Poll watchers are not allowed to
interfere with poll workers’
responsibilities or slow down the
operation of a precinct. If a poll watcher
is not following these rules, immediately
contact the supervisor’s office.
7. VOTERS WHO ARE
CHALLENGED BASED ON
RESIDENCE MAY BE PERMITTED
TO VOTE BY REGULAR BALLOT.
If a voter’s eligibility is challenged on
the basis that the voter’s residence is not
in the precinct, the voter must be given
an opportunity to execute a change of
address and, if the voter is in the correct
precinct, vote by regular ballot. If the
voter is in the wrong precinct, a poll
worker must identify the voter’s correct
precinct and direct the voter to that
precinct.
10. A VOTER MAY RECEIVE UP TO
TWO REPLACEMENT BALLOTS
IF THE VOTER MAKES A
MISTAKE IN COMPLETING HER
BALLOT.
If a voter makes a mistake on his or her
ballot, s/he may receive up to two
replacement ballots. This means the
voter has up to three chances to
complete his or her ballot correctly.
8. VOTERS WHO REQUESTED AN
ABSENTEE BALLOT MAY BE
ABLE TO VOTE BY REGULAR
BALLOT.
If the precinct register shows that a voter
requested an absentee ballot, a poll
worker must determine whether the
voter completed and submitted an
absentee ballot. If the voter brings an
absentee ballot to the polls to surrender
it, or the poll worker otherwise
determines that the voter’s absentee
ballot has not been received by the
Supervisor of Election’s office, the poll
www.advancementproject.org