TAMPA, Fla. — November 3 is election day, but there are other dates and deadlines that are important for you to know to make sure your vote is counted.
Here are the deadlines you need to know about to vote in Florida.
To vote in Florida you must register by 5 p.m. on October 5, 2020. The state requires you register 29 days before an election.
To receive your ballot by mail, you must request your ballot by 5 p.m. on October 24, 2020. There are several ways to request a vote-by-mail ballot.
Supervisors of Elections can begin mailing those out on September 24th.
To vote earl, in person, the mandatory early voting days in Florida are October 24 to October 31. Your county may offer extra days starting as early as October 19 and ending on Sunday, November 1.
November 3 is election day. Polls close at 7 p.m. No matter how you vote, your ballot must be returned and received by 7 p.m. that Tuesday if you want it to count.
Supervisors of Elections say the earlier you check to make sure you register, request and return your ballot, the more time you have to correct to any issues.
"If you wait until the last minute you are jeopardizing your opportunity to participate in the election. The October 5 voter registration deadline is a hard deadline. If you’re not registered to vote by October 5 at 5 p.m. you don’t get to participate in the election," said Dustin Chase, Deputy Supervisor of Elections for Pinellas County.
You can track the status of your by-mail ballot on your Supervisor of Elections’ website.