ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Ian displaced hundreds, if not thousands, of people across Florida a little over a month before a major election.
For those people, right now, voting may be the last thing on their mind, but it might matter to them come Nov. 8.
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The good news is, in Florida, if you still live in the county and you have to change your address, you can do so right up to Election Day. If your situation has really changed though, you may need to get with your county supervisor of elections office to get your ability to vote squared away.
First, make sure you are registered to vote by Tuesday, Oct. 11, by going to RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov.
If you’re from Charlotte, Lee or Sarasota counties, the counties hit hardest by Hurricane Ian, the Florida Division of Elections has specific information on how to vote on its website.
For other counties:
If you’re temporarily displaced, but still living in the same county
Voters who are temporarily displaced, but living in the same county, don’t have to do anything different, said Kyndle Cobb, spokesperson for the Seminole County supervisor of elections office.
You can still vote in your assigned precinct on Election Day, and you will be able to vote early at any of your county’s early voting sites. Early voting information is in the News 6 Voter Guide.
If you want to vote by mail, you need to put in a new vote-by-mail request using the new, displaced address. You can scan and email that application in, mail it to the county supervisor of elections, or drop it off at their office.
Remember, that ballot needs to be returned to the county supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
If you’re permanently displaced, but still living in the same county
You will need to change your address with the county supervisor of elections office. But this can be done at any time up to Election Day and at the polling place. Simply bring something with you that verifies the new address. If you are voting on Election Day, you will also need to vote at your new polling precinct.
You can also update your address at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov, but you must have your driver’s license or Florida identification card with you.
If you’re temporarily displaced, but living outside your home county
If you are staying in a different county from where you live, you will need to either travel to your home county to vote, or you will need to request a vote-by-mail ballot using the new address. You have until Oct. 29 to request a VBM ballot.
If you’re permanently displaced, but living outside your home county
As long as you are living in the state of Florida, and are registered to vote, you should still be able to vote. The best thing to do is to request a vote-by-mail ballot using the new address, Cobb said. You have until Oct. 29 to request a VBM ballot.
If you are living in another state, the best way to vote is to request a VBM ballot.
You can also update your address at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov, but you must have your driver’s license or Florida identification card with you.
For more information on registering to vote, or checking your vote-by-mail status, head to this story: How to make sure you can vote in Florida’s November election.