July—September 2014
Volume 4, Issue 3
Broward County Supervisor of Elections
THE V.O.T.E.
VOICE OF THE ELECTIONS
In this issue:
Message from the
Supervisor of Elections
Pg. 1
Broward County Supervi- Pg. 2
sor of Elections’ History
General Election Voting
History
Election Day Workers
Pg. 3
Request Your Absentee
Ballot!
Attention Voters!
Pg. 4
What’s On Your Ballot
Registered Voters
Pg. 5
Early Voting Times,
Dates & Sites—General
Please Bring Your
Picture Identification
Pg. 6
Election Myths Vs. Facts
Election Myths Vs. Facts Pg. 7
(Cont.)
Main Office
115 S. Andrews Ave, #102
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Voting Equipment Center
1501 N.W. 40th Avenue
Lauderhill, FL 33313
Monday—Friday
8:30 a.m.—5:00 p.m.
E. Pat Larkins
520 MLK Blvd.
Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Tuesday & Thursday
1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Phone: 954-357-7050
www.browardsoe.org
E-mail:
[email protected]
Message from Dr. Brenda C. Snipes
Dear one million sixty-three thousand two hundred
fifty-eight Broward County Voters. As I write this huge
number (1,063,258), I am impressed!
Each of you is a member of a very powerful group—a
member who has the power to impact the future
through casting your vote across all levels of government. We encourage you to cast your vote and let your voices be heard.
You may choose the voting option which best suits your schedule—vote by
mail, vote early or vote on election day (November 4, 2014). Each of these
methods has its own special characteristics.
Vote-by-mail ballots (absentee) are available upon request. If your request
is already on file, you will receive your ballot beginning next week. Requests
for ballots to be mailed are accepted until Wednesday, October 29, 2014.
Voted ballots need to be returned to the SOE no later than 7:00 p.m. on
election day.
Early voting has become a very popular form of voting. This year, we will
offer a fourteen-day schedule at twenty locations across Broward County.
You may vote Monday, through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The African American
Research Library will be open on Sunday, November 2nd from 8:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m.
On November 4th, voters may choose to go to their assigned polling place.
Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Because some locations and
precinct numbers may have changed, voters should verify their polling location by reviewing the voter information card. If the card has a date before
2013, please contact our office or visit our website at www.browardsoe.org
and click on precinct finder to access your updated polling location.
Remember that a picture I.D. with signature is required when voting early or
at your polling place. The Florida Driver's License is the preferred form of I.D
(other accepted forms of ID are mentioned in this brochure).
Included in this brochure is a list of commonly asked questions
regarding election procedures. Please review to get answers to
some of your questions before casting your ballot.
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BROWARD COUNTY
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS’
HISTORY
GENERAL ELECTION
VOTING HISTORY
Year
THEN
NOW
As we look back and see how the Broward
County Supervisor of Elections’ Office has evolved, we
see the importance of our office and how imbedded it
is into our history.
Broward County was formed from a part of Palm
Beach County and a part of Dade County in 1915. In
1916 the Primaries were held in June and the General
Elections in November.
The Broward County
Supervisor of Elections had six precincts with a total
registration of 908 voters. Presently, Broward County
has 577 precincts and over one million voters to
account for, and the Primary Election is conducted on
Tuesday, 10 weeks prior to the General Election.
The chart on the right is a voting history of all the
General Elections conducted in Broward County since
1966. You should be able to identify how voter
registration and involvement in the electoral process
have increased throughout the years.
Registered
Voted
1966
206,911
132,351
1968
244,869
193,634
1970
257,866
168,270
1972
338,994
272,933
1974
378,428
200,847
1976
429,231
353,241
1978
461,441
300,374
1980
545,698
422,067
1982
517,273
324,548
1984
623,355
466,082
1986
615,886
377,955
1988
672,411
472,802
1990
635,221
342,647
1992
657,548
542,547
1994
661,580
407,345
1996
801,087
519,583
1998
817,403
372,512
2000
887,764
588,007
2002
978,297
443,912
2004
1,032,098
709,724
2006
923,647
411,489
2008
1,008,836
739,861
2010
1,041,761
426,973
2012
1,140,456
762,345
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Election Day Workers
Did you know that approximately 7,000 workers are needed to assist our
citizens with the voting process on Election Day in Broward County?
Each election volunteer is a part of our
important democratic process by which American
citizens have the opportunity to select their
leaders and have a voice in government .
In order to participate, you must be a registered
Broward County voter. You will be required to
attend a training session for any of the following
positions:

Election Worker $200

Voting System Tech $200

EViD Operator $165

Early Voting Worker $10/hr.

Call Center Operator $130-$190

Poll Deputy $160

Regional Site Worker $75—$150

Special Deputy $165 + Mileage
For more information on how to become an election day worker in Broward County,
you may contact us at 954-459-9911.
Vote from home! To request an absentee ballot
to be mailed to your home address, you may
go online at www.browardsoe.org or call
954-357-7055.
NOTE: Florida Law requires that if the ballot is
requested to be mailed to an address other than
the elector’s address on file in the Florida Voter
Registration System, the request must be made
in writing, signed by the elector, and delivered to
the Supervisor of Elections office. (F.S.101.62)
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ATTENTION VOTERS!
Vote with
Confidence!
GENERAL ELECTION
November 4, 2014
 Have you moved recently?
 Have you changed your name?
polls are open
 Would you like to change your The
from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00
party?
p.m. on election day.
To update your voter status, please
call 954-357-7050.
Book closing is
October 6, 2014
What’s On Your Ballot…
As a non-partisan office, the Supervisor of Elections is responsible for listing the
candidates and/or amendments of any upcoming election on her website. Here
are some thoughts that our office can share with you in regards to becoming
more informed on candidates or amendments.




For information on candidates and/or amendments listed on your ballot, you
may go to our website at www.browardsoe.org and click on the SAMPLE
BALLOT link located on the main page. Then, you will need to enter your
address and click again on the sample ballot option to retrieve the information.
*Voters may e-mail their requests for a sample ballot to: [email protected].
Many newspapers, radio stations, and news stations interview the candidates and report information on them. Media may also announce upcoming forums in your area or debates that will
take place on television.
You may contact the candidate’s political party for information about the candidate.
You can use an internet search engine such as Google or Yahoo to look up the candidate. Many
of the candidates have a website that gives you more information on them. You can also place
in the search box: “2014 Florida Amendments” and various websites that have more information
will appear such as the Division of Elections, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the League of Women
Voters, etc.
REGISTERED VOTERS
As of September 30, 2014
Total: 1,063,258
Democrat: 543,489
Republican: 235,721
Other: 284,048
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PLEASE BRING YOUR PICTURE
IDENTIFICATION ON ELECTION DAY!
Acceptable Forms of Picture Identification
- Florida Driver’s License
- Military or Student ID
- Florida ID Card
- Public Assistance ID
- US Passport
- Debit/ Credit Card
- Retirement Center ID
- Neighborhood Assoc. ID
*IDs must have current signature. Any combination of Picture and Signature are accepted.
ELECTION MYTHS VS. FACTS
MYTH: The address on the driver’s license must match the address in the voter registration
record in order for the voter to be able to vote.
FACT: The address on the driver’s license does not need to match the address in the voter registration record. If you have moved and haven’t changed your driver’s license to reflect your new
address, that’s okay. What is important is that you vote in the precinct where you currently live, no
matter what your driver’s license says.
MYTH: If a voter does not have a driver’s license, the voter cannot vote.
FACT: In order to vote at the polls during early voting or on Election Day, you must show a photo
and signature identification. Identification must be current and valid. If your photo identification does
not contain your signature, you will be required to show an additional form of identification that
provides your signature (see I.D. listed above).
Please note: I.D. is not required for persons who cast an absentee ballot. However, the signature on
the voter registration database is compared to the signature on the voting certificate envelope. The
two signatures must match in order for the ballot to be counted.
MYTH: Voters will be turned away if they are wearing campaign apparel.
FACT: “Voters may wear campaign buttons, shirts, hats, or any other campaign items when they
enter the polling place to vote. Voters may not otherwise campaign there.” (From the Polling Place
Procedures Manual incorporated within Rule 1S-2.034, Florida Administrative Code).
So, merely going to the polls wearing campaign paraphernalia is OK, but, by statute (s. 102.031(4),
Florida Statutes), one cannot solicit voters within 100 feet of the entrance to any polling place.
MYTH: Voters will not be allowed to vote, even if they are in line before the polls close.
FACT: Any voter who is in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote (See sections 100.01, Florida
Statutes).
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ELECTION MYTHS VS. FACTS (CONT.)
MYTH: If your house is under foreclosure, you will not be able to vote.
FACT: A foreclosure notice does not necessarily mean that a person no longer resides in the home, as
people often remain in the home after foreclosure begins and are sometimes able to refinance the home.
Voters whose homes have been foreclosed, but who remain in their homes may continue to vote in their
assigned precinct. Voters who have physically moved from their foreclosed residence with no intention of
returning to that address may still vote, but should provide a change of address to the supervisor of elections. Voters must vote in the precinct where their residence is located.
MYTH: If you are a Florida college student, you have to change your permanent residence to your
college address.
FACT: Students can maintain their voter registration at their hometown address, or they may register to
vote in the jurisdiction where they attend school. Those who choose to maintain a Broward County registration will want to remember to contact our office for absentee ballots at election time. Students must
change their address if they want to vote on the ballot for their college town.
MYTH: If the voter is homeless and has no legal residence, the voter may not vote.
FACT: State registration laws may not discriminate against the homeless in voter registration as long as
the homeless applicant for voter registration intends to remain in a locale and has either a place where
he or she can receive messages or an effective mailing address. The homeless person will vote in the
precinct where the applicant receives messages (e.g., rescue mission) or the precinct in which the applicant‘s effective mailing address is located.
MYTH: IF the voter does not have the voter information card, the voter may not vote.
FACT: The voter information card is not necessary to vote. It is a helpful tool for the voter to know their
districts & polling location.
MYTH: Provisional ballots are only counted when there is a close race.
FACT: A provisional ballot is always counted when the voter is shown to be registered and eligible,
regardless of the closeness of the outcome of the election. A person who votes provisionally simply
because he or she did not present an I.D. at the polling place will not have to do anything else. If the
signatures on that ballot certificate and the voter roll match, the provisional ballot is counted if the provisional ballot is cast in the correct precinct.
MYTH: Absentee ballots are only counted when there is a close race.
FACT: All absentee ballots are counted if properly executed, which includes making sure that the return
envelope is signed and that the signature matches the voter’s signature on the voter registration database.
MYTH: Voters need a reason to request an absentee ballot.
FACT: Florida is a no-excuse absentee ballot state. Any qualified (registered) voters are permitted to
vote absentee under Florida law. The law requires a written request signed by the voter if the request is
to mail the absentee ballot to an address other than the legal residence or the mailing address on file.
EXCEPTION: An absent uniformed service voter or an overseas voter is not required to have a
signed, written request for the ballot to be mailed to different address (FS101.62 effective
01/01/14).
MYTH: There is no more early voting on Sundays.
FACT: There are two Sundays during Early Voting. Early Voting for the General Election begins Monday, October 20th, to Sunday, November 2nd. Check our website at www.browardsoe.org for specific
times and locations.
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