Preparing to Vote

Voting is an opportunity to voice your opinion.  In Florida there are three methods for casting a ballot-- Voting at the polls, early voting, and the absentee ballot.  Now there is no excuse for not voting!

Polls are open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET on election day.  Florida law requires that you vote in the precinct where you live. Your voter information card shows the precinct, polling place and voting districts for your address. If you move within the county, you must vote in your new precinct.

If you have registered to vote but do not have your voter information card, you can call the Supervisor of Elections' office at (850) 643-5226 and they can tell you what precinct you live in and where your polling place is located.  You can also go to the precinct finder and find a map indicating the location of your precinct.

When voting, every voter must present a Florida Driver's License, Florida Identification or another form of picture & signature identification approved by the Florida Department of State (see list in right column.) If you do not have one of the approved forms of identification with you, you will still be able vote.  You will be issued a provisional ballot.  A provisional ballot is a conditional ballot which is issued to a voter whose eligibilty cannot be determined or has been challenged.  Validity of these ballots are determined by the canvassing board.  Issuing a provisional ballots at the voting site will cause delays for you and those following you.  Please bring picture/signature identification with you to the polls. The law requires the poll worker to verify your signature before permitting you to vote. 

There are special identification requirements (see list in right column) for individuals who are new mail registrants in the state of Florida which are outlined in the new Help America Vote Act (HAVA).  If a copy of your identification was not provided to the Supervisor's office prior to election day, you will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot. 

Also, if your voting eligibility is in question, you will not be denied the opportunity to vote.  You will be issued a provisional ballot.  State law provides provisional voters 2 days to present proof of eligibility to the Supervisor of Elections' Office before provisional ballots are canvassed.  Provisional voters may call the Supervisor of Elections' Office at 643-5226 to check the status of his or her provisional ballot.

If you prefer not to go to the polls on election day, you may vote early in the Supervisor of Elections' office located in the Liberty County Courthouse.  Early voting begins 15 days prior to an election and ends at 4:00 p.m. on the Saturday before the election.  See Election Dates for the early voting period for each election.  Please bring your photo/signature I.D when you come to vote.

Another voting alternative is by absentee ballot. For more information on this process, please see Absentee Voting.

Acceptable forms of identification include:

  • Florida driver's license
  • Florida identification card issued by DHSMV
  • United States Passport
  • Debit/credit card
  • Military identification
  • Student identification
  • Retirement center identification
  • Neighborhood association identification
  • Public assistance identification

First-time voters who register by mail are required to provide one of the above forms of identification in order to vote at the polls. 

In order to prevent delays at the polls provide a copy or notify the Supervisor's office prior to election day of one of the following:

  • Photo/signature identification (see above list with the exception of Florida Drivers License and Florida ID)
  • Current and valid utility bill, bank statement, government paycheck or other government document containing your name and current residence address, OR
  • Exempt from the ID requirement for one of the following reasons:
    • 65 years of age or older
    • Has a temporary or permanent physical disability
    • Member of the uniformed service and are absent from the county due to active duty assignment
    • Member of Merchant Marine who will be absent from the county due to service
    • Spouse or dependent of member of uniformed services or Merchant Marine and will be absent from county
    • Currently residing outside the United State who is eligible to vote in Florida.

How to Complete Your Ballot

Liberty County currently uses the Election Systems and Software M-100 precinct based tabulation system.  This system reads mark sense paper ballots where a voter marks their choice of candidates by filling in the oval next to the candidate's name (See example at right). 

In 2005,  HAVA and state legislation mandated for each precinct,  a voting unit that is assessible to the disabled community allowing the voter to vote unassisted.  To bring our county into compliance, we have added the iVotronic Touch Screen Voting System to each precinct in addition to our current M-100 already in use.  A voter can either touch the screen to make his or her selection, or use an audio device to have the ballot read to him or her and selections are then made by using a series of Braille-imbossed buttons.   For more information see M-100 or iVotronic. 

 

Last Updated May 6, 2008