What Do I Need to Register to Vote in Florida?

To register to vote in Florida, you need to be a U.S. citizen, a Florida resident, and at least 18 years old by Election Day (16 to pre-register), and you need to supply one identifying number: a Florida driver’s license number, a Florida ID card number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. On top of that, the application asks for your full legal name, date of birth, Florida residential address, a party choice, and your signature under oath. Everything below unpacks those requirements and the deadline that governs them.

Who Can Register

Florida law sets five conditions. You must be a U.S. citizen, a Florida resident living in the county where you want to register, and at least 18 by Election Day. You cannot be under a court adjudication of mental incapacity with respect to voting unless that right has been restored, and you cannot have a felony conviction unless your voting rights have been restored.

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds can pre-register. The registration sits on file and activates automatically once the person turns 18.

The felony rule is where people get stuck. Under Florida’s Amendment 4 implementing statute, if your conviction was for a felony other than murder or a felony sexual offense, your voting rights are automatically restored once you have completed every part of your sentence, including prison, probation, parole, and full payment of any court-ordered restitution, fines, and fees. If your conviction was for murder or a felony sexual offense, restoration is not automatic; you have to apply for clemency through the Governor and Cabinet.¹

Information the Application Asks For

The Florida Voter Registration Application is Form DS-DE 39. It will not process without all of the following:

Your full legal name (last, first, middle, and suffix if applicable)
Date of birth
A Florida residential address, not a P.O. box; this sets your precinct
A mailing address if it differs from your home address
A checkbox affirming U.S. citizenship
A checkbox affirming you have not been convicted of a felony (or that your rights have been restored) and have not been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting
A party affiliation, or a selection of no party affiliation
Your signature

The signature is a sworn oath that the information you gave is true.² Willfully submitting false voter registration information is a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years in prison.³ Confirm every entry before you sign.

Party choice is worth a moment. Florida runs closed primaries, so in a primary election you can only vote the ballot of the party you’re registered with.⁴ You can register with no party affiliation and still vote in general elections and on ballot measures.

The Identifying Number

For identity verification, the state requires one of three numbers: your current Florida driver’s license number, your Florida ID card number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Florida checks whatever you provide against existing records.⁵

If none of those have ever been issued to you, you can still register. Check the box on the form that affirms that fact. You will then need to show identification the first time you vote. Acceptable documents in that situation include a U.S. passport, a military ID, a student ID, a debit or credit card, a government employee ID, or a current utility bill, bank statement, or government document showing your name and address.²

How to Submit the Application

The fastest route is the Florida Online Voter Registration System at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov. To complete a fully electronic submission, you need both a Florida driver’s license or Florida ID card number and the last four digits of your Social Security number. The system verifies both in real time against state records.⁶

Without a Florida-issued ID, you can still use the site to fill out and print the form. Sign the printed application and mail or hand-deliver it to your county Supervisor of Elections.

Paper applications are also available at any county Supervisor of Elections office, Florida driver’s license offices, local libraries, and entities authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to issue hunting or fishing permits. The form is downloadable in English and Spanish from the Division of Elections website.⁷ The postmark date or the hand-delivery date is your registration date.

After you submit, expect a voter information card in the mail within about two weeks. You can also confirm the registration went through using the state’s Voter Lookup tool at registration.dos.fl.gov; allow one to two business days after submitting before checking.⁸ Checking is worth the minute, especially if you registered close to the deadline.

The 29-Day Deadline

Your application must be received or postmarked no later than 29 days before an election for you to vote in that election. Florida calls this “book closing,” and it does not bend. If the 29th day lands on a Sunday or a legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.⁹ Miss it and your application still gets processed, but you won’t be eligible until the next election.⁶

The same 29-day cutoff applies to a party affiliation switch if you want it to count for a primary. Switch before the books close, or the change waits until after that primary.

One narrow exception: if you or a family member accompanying you recently separated from the military, Merchant Marine, or overseas employment after book closing, you can register in person at your county Supervisor of Elections office up until 5 p.m. on the Friday before the election. Bring documentation showing you qualify.¹⁰

What to Bring on Election Day

Registration and voting are separate steps, and the ID rules differ. When you vote in person, poll workers will ask for a current, valid photo ID before handing you a ballot. Florida accepts:

Florida driver’s license
Florida ID card
U.S. passport
Debit or credit card with a photo
Military ID
Student ID
Retirement center ID
Neighborhood association ID
Public assistance ID
Veteran health ID card from the VA
Florida concealed weapon or firearm license
Government employee ID (federal, state, county, or municipal)

If your photo ID doesn’t include your signature, bring a second document that does.¹¹

1
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 98.0751 – Restoration of Voting Rights
2
Florida Department of State. Florida Voter Registration Application Instructions and Form DS DE 39
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 104.011 – Violation of Oath
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 101.021 – Elector to Vote the Primary Ballot of the Political Party in Which He or She Is Registered
5
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 97.053 – Acceptance of Voter Registration Applications
6
Florida Department of State. Florida Online Voter Registration System
7
Florida Department of State Division of Elections. Register to Vote or Update Your Information
8
Florida Department of State. State of Florida Voter Lookup
9
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 97.055 – Registration Books; When Closed for an Election
10
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 97.0555 – Late Registration
11
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 101.043 – Identification Required at Polls