The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections runs voter registration, early voting, mail ballots, and Election Day polling for every address in the county, and its main office is at 2408 South Military Trail in West Palm Beach. To vote in any upcoming election, your registration has to be in at least 29 days before Election Day. Everything else — how you cast the ballot, what ID you bring, how you get a mail ballot — flows from that deadline.
Who Can Register in Palm Beach County
You must be a United States citizen, a legal resident of Florida and of Palm Beach County, and at least 18 years old by Election Day.1Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 97.041 – Qualifications to Register or Vote Two groups are barred: anyone adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting whose rights have not been restored, and anyone with a felony conviction who has not completed the requirements to regain eligibility.
If you’re 16 or 17, you can pre-register now. The application sits inactive until your 18th birthday and then activates automatically. If that birthday falls between the registration cutoff and Election Day, you can still vote in that election as long as your pre-registration was submitted on time.2Florida Department of State. Florida Online Voter Registration System
How to Register and the 29-Day Deadline
The fastest way is the state’s online portal at registertovoteflorida.gov, which checks your information against existing state records in real time.2Florida Department of State. Florida Online Voter Registration System Paper applications are available at public libraries, tax collector offices, and the Supervisor’s main office; you can drop one off in person or send it by mail.
You’ll need a Florida driver’s license or state ID card number issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If you have neither, the last four digits of your Social Security number will do. The form also asks for your full legal name, residential address, date of birth, and party affiliation (or “No Party Affiliation”).
Here is the hard rule: your registration must be submitted at least 29 days before Election Day. For mailed applications, the postmark has to be no later than that 29-day mark. After the office processes it, you’ll receive a Voter Information Card in the mail showing your party affiliation, precinct, and polling location. Keep it, but you don’t need it to vote.
One extra wrinkle for first-time voters who register by mail: if you didn’t include ID with your application, federal law requires you to show ID the first time you vote. A current photo ID works, as does a utility bill, bank statement, government check, or government document showing your name and address.3U.S. Election Assistance Commission. National Mail Voter Registration Form FAQs Once the office has verified your information, that first-time requirement goes away.
What ID to Bring to the Polls
Every time you vote in person at an early voting site or a precinct, you have to show a photo ID with a signature. If your photo ID doesn’t carry a signature, bring a second document that does. Florida accepts a wider list than most voters expect:4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 101.043 – Identification Required at Polls
- Florida driver’s license or state ID card
- U.S. passport
- Military ID
- Veteran health ID card from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Debit or credit card with your photo
- Student ID
- Employee ID from any federal, state, county, or municipal entity
- Concealed weapon or firearm license
- Retirement center, neighborhood association, or public assistance ID
If you show up without acceptable ID, you aren’t sent home. You can cast a provisional ballot, and the canvassing board counts it once it verifies your identity and eligibility.
Three Ways to Cast Your Ballot
Early Voting
Early voting runs from the 10th day through the 3rd day before any election that includes a state or federal race, with sites open between 8 and 12 hours each day.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 101.657 – Early Voting During the early window you can vote at any designated early voting site in the county, not just the precinct tied to your address. The Supervisor’s website at votepalmbeach.gov posts the finalized locations and hours for each election.
Election Day Voting
On Election Day, polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m., and you have to vote at the specific precinct assigned to your home address.6Palm Beach County Elections. Election Day Voting Your precinct appears on your Voter Information Card and can also be looked up on the Supervisor’s website. If you’re already in line when the polls close at 7:00 p.m., you have the right to vote.
Vote by Mail
Any registered voter can request a mail ballot without giving a reason. A single request covers all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election, unless you narrow the request to specific elections.7Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 101.62 – Request for Vote-by-Mail Ballots You can place the request by mail, online, in person, or by phone through the Supervisor’s office.8Florida Department of State. Vote-by-Mail
The return deadline is firm. Your completed ballot has to be received by the Supervisor’s office no later than 7:00 p.m. local time on Election Day, regardless of postmark. A ballot that arrives even one minute late is not counted. You can mail it back or drop it off at a secure ballot intake station; during the early voting window, those stations operate at early voting sites during posted hours. Given how postal timing can slip, don’t rely on a last-week mailing.
Provisional Ballots
If your name isn’t on the precinct rolls or your eligibility is questioned at the polls, you can cast a provisional ballot. The sealed ballot goes back to the Supervisor’s office, and you have until 5:00 p.m. on the second day after the election to submit written evidence of your eligibility.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 101.048 – Provisional Ballots The canvassing board reviews each one, checks signatures and registration records, and counts the ballot unless evidence shows the voter wasn’t entitled to vote.
Restoring Voting Rights After a Felony
Florida’s Amendment 4, passed in 2018, automatically restores voting rights for most people with felony convictions once they complete every term of their sentence. “All terms” is broad: it covers prison or jail, parole, probation, and full payment of fines, fees, court costs, and restitution ordered as part of the sentence.10Florida Department of State. Felon Voting Rights
Eligibility turns on what the original sentence ordered under the state’s “first dollar policy,” so interest and later collection fees do not count against you. If the full amount is more than you can pay, you can petition a court to convert the remaining financial obligation to community service, or to terminate it with the consent of the entity owed. People convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense are excluded from the automatic restoration and must apply for clemency through the Board of Executive Clemency.
Military and Overseas Voters
Active-duty military members, their families, and U.S. citizens living abroad are covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Under UOCAVA, the Supervisor’s office must transmit absentee ballots to eligible overseas voters at least 45 days before any federal election.11Federal Voting Assistance Program. The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act Overview Overseas voters also get a 10-day return extension for the Presidential Preference Primary and the General Election, as long as the ballot is postmarked or dated by Election Day.8Florida Department of State. Vote-by-Mail
The Federal Post Card Application works as both a voter registration form and an absentee ballot request for UOCAVA voters. If your regular ballot doesn’t arrive in time, the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot acts as a backup for federal races. The Supervisor’s office can help with either option.
Checking Results, Sample Ballots, and Candidate Finance
On election night, the Supervisor’s website posts a live dashboard of unofficial returns as precincts report. Numbers stay unofficial until the county canvassing board finishes reviewing mail ballots, provisional ballots, and early voting totals and certifies the results.12U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Election Results, Canvass, and Certification Historical results and turnout data are archived on the same site.
The office also publishes campaign finance filings for local candidates, since Florida law requires every campaign treasurer to file regular reports of contributions and expenditures.13The Florida Senate. Florida Code 106.07 – Reports; Certification and Filing A precinct finder and sample ballot for every upcoming election are posted at votepalmbeach.gov. Reading the sample ballot before you leave the house is the single easiest way to avoid getting stuck on a down-ballot race or a constitutional amendment at the booth.