ORLANDO, Fla. – While Florida’s midterm elections might not capture the spotlight like presidential races, their significance is undeniable.

Historically, midterm elections see fewer voters heading to the polls. This trend might stem from a perception of lesser importance or simply being overlooked. In 2022, the general election saw a turnout of just 54%, a stark contrast to the 78.9% participation in the 2024 presidential election, as reported by the Florida Division of Elections.

Come 2026, Floridians will face critical decisions: electing a successor to Governor Ron DeSantis, choosing representatives for the Florida Legislature, and selecting delegates for the U.S. Senate and House. Additionally, voters will decide on officials for county and city positions.

The outcomes of these elections can profoundly affect Floridians’ everyday lives, influencing local issues like taxation, educational policies, and the implementation of road tolls.

Ensuring your eligibility to vote in Florida is crucial.

What you need to be eligible to vote

In Florida, you can cast your vote if you meet the following criteria:

• You’re a citizen of the United States of America by birth or naturalization

• You’re a legal resident of Florida

• You’re a legal resident of the county in which you seek to be registered

• You’re at least 16 years old to preregister, or at least 18 years old to register and vote

• You’re not deemed mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state without having the right to vote restored

• If you were convicted of a felony, when your right to vote has been restored in Florida

There are no set rules for what makes a legal resident in Florida. The biggest thing is you must have a home in the state. Also, your home address cannot be a post office box.

How to register

There are a few ways to register to vote in Florida.

Online:

Florida has an online voter registration system. Go to RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov. There, you can register to vote, update your voter registration, and check to see if you are registered. The site is available in English and in Spanish.

Note: If you do this, you must have a Florida driver’s license or Florida identification card that is issued by the state.

In person:

You can also register to vote in person at the following offices:

• The driver’s-license office

• A public library

• The Center for Independent Living

• WIC and DCF offices

• Armed forces recruitment officers

• Any supervisor of elections office

You can also print out a copy of the voter registration application and mail it to your county supervisor of elections office.

In order to register on a paper application, you must have:

• A Florida driver’s license or Florida identification card

• OR the last four digits of your Social Security number

What’s the deadline to register to vote?

In order to vote in an election, you must get your voter registration application in 29 days before that election, a deadline known as “book closing.” Here are the book closing dates for this year:

· August primary election: July 20

· November general election: Oct. 5

What if I’m from another state?

If you are from another state, you need to fill out a new voter registration form for Florida. Your registration does not transfer from one state to the next. You need to make sure you are registered by the dates above in order to vote in a Florida election.

What if I’m registered and I want to update my registration (in-state change of address, change party affiliation, etc.)?

Say you need to change your address, or you want to change your party affiliation so you can vote in a party primary. If you have a driver’s license, you can do this online at Register to Vote Florida.gov.

You will need a Florida driver’s license or a Florida identification card in order to make those changes; otherwise, you will have to download a voter registration application and mail in your changes to your county supervisor of elections office. You can also go to the office.

Note, if you are making changes to your party affiliation before a primary election, you must make those changes by the deadline to register for that election. Florida is a closed primary state, which means only people who are members of a political party can vote in party primary elections.

If you move to a new address within your county and you aren’t able to change your address before election day, you can go to your new polling precinct and update the address with the polling clerk.

What if I’m registered to vote, but I haven’t voted in a while?

You may be considered an inactive voter. That’s when a voter’s information cannot be verified, and then an address verification letter is sent to you but returned as “undeliverable.”

To go from being an inactive voter to an active voter, all you have to do is vote, or contact your county supervisor of elections office.

Being an inactive voter does not stop you from voting.

If you’re curious if your voter registration is active, you can go to RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, and look up your registration under “Am I Already Registered?”

What if I’ve been removed from voter rolls by accident?

The Florida Division of Elections says voters are removed from the rolls if they are dead, not a U.S. citizen, not listing a valid Florida registration, have had their voting rights taken away because of a felony conviction or are judged to be mentally incapable, or if a voter has left the state and Florida election officials have been notified. A voter may also be asked to be removed from the rolls.

If you think you have been removed from the voter rolls by accident, you should contact your county supervisor of elections office immediately and submit a new voter registration application.

I am a convicted felon who has completed my sentence. How do I get my voting rights restored?

In Florida, certain felons who have completed their sentences are permitted to register to vote. Florida law requires that felons complete any prison and parole sentence, plus pay all applicable court fees.

Once this is done, you fill out a new voter registration application.

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition can help you figure out if you have paid all your fees and fines. Go to the FRRC website to learn more.