Florida Voting by Obama Campaign Part 3 of 3: Debunking Voting Myths

PART 3 IN A SERIES: DEBUNKING FLORIDA VOTING MYTHS:

Note: Today's post is the last but most critical in my 3-part Florida Voting Series presenting another voting awareness fact sheet by the Florida Campaign for Change.

A few weeks ago I began receiving a number of email forwardings from friends and associates which contained inaccurate and often wrong information on Florida voting laws. I even heard some local radio stations giving out that same information. My advice is never rely on any voting or legal information you receive in personal email from a friend, co-worker, or family member without checking the facts. Voting emails are normally full of holes, and the Republican Party does a GREAT JOB of sowing false and misleading emails around election time (called "whisper campaigning") because they know that most of US don't bother to check to see if the information is true or not. If Ray Ray sent it, it must be true, right? This year's election is too important for us to rely on forwardings. Just as you shouldn't rely on emails from a friend for medical, legal, or investment advice without first doing your own homework, the same rule of thumb applies to voting. Please double check either with The Great Blog of Kéto, the Florida Campaign for Change, or your local Supervisor Of Elections office whose staff can clarify any misunderstanding of voting rules and laws in short order.

ADDRESS MATCHING AND ID ISSUES:
The law does NOT require that the address on the voter's photo ID match the voter's address on the registration rolls.
The Florida Secretary of State says: "I.D. required and checked at the polls is used solely to confirm the voter's identity. Not to verify the voter's ID number or address."
The law only requires that when a voter registers to vote, the driver's license number (or state ID number or last 4 digits of a social security number) match the number in the government databases. But to be clear, the only people who should be using their SSN number are those that have not been issued a valid and non-expired Florida driver's license or ID card.
If the voter has moved within the STATE since registering in FLORIDA, they may update their address at the polls as long as they are at the precinct associated with their CURRENT home address.
The following ID's can be used at the polls if they have your PICTURE and SIGNATURE: Florida driver's license, Florida ID card, US Passport, Debit/Credit card, Military ID, Student ID, Retirement Center ID, Neighborhood Ass'n ID, and Public Assistance ID. The picture and signature CAN be on two separate forms of ID. For example, if your student ID has a picture and your credit card has your signature--that would be good enough to vote.

CLOTHING:
Voters are allowed to wear ANYTHING they want to the polls. This includes Obama gear (buttons, pins, hats).

EARLY VOTE:
Any registered voter may vote early.
Early voting begins October 20 and ends on November 2 (including WEEKENDS).
Voters may vote at any early voting site in their county where they are registered. Voters must still meet the photo ID and signature requirements.
If they are in line when the early voting location is scheduled to close, they MUST be allowed to vote.
UPDATE 10/29/08: Gov. Charlie Crist has just declared "a state of emergency" in Florida, due to the overwhelming number of Floridians eager to cast their votes early. That's why yesterday (10/28/08) he issued an executive order to dramatically expand early voting.

Effective immediately, every early voting site in the state will be open from 7am to 7pm through Friday, October 31st, and for a total of 12 hours between 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1st, and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 2nd.

To find your Early Vote location now, visit FL.VoteForChange.com and vote early right away.

Certain locations may not be open on Sunday. If you have questions about weekend hours at your nearest location or anything else, please call 1-877-235-6226, or contact your county's Supervisor of Elections. The executive order not only extends the Early Vote deadline, it also increases the time that locations are open weekdays to 12 hours a day -- beyond the 8 hours a day mandated by state law.

EX-FELONS:
Ex-felons can vote if their civil rights are restored, and many non-violent felons are restored automatically.
You can check their status online at https://fpcweb.fpc.state.fl.us/.

EXPIRED DRIVER LICENSES:
Florida law requires that a driver's license be "current and valid" to satisfy the registration and early vote/election day requirement.
If a registrant has ONLY an expired Florida driver's license/ID, use the last four digits of their SSN to register them.
IF the registrant only has a restricted or trainer's driver's license, use that number, so long as the restricted license is otherwise current and valid.

REPUBLICAN MAILINGS:
If you hear of people getting strange or confusing mail from Republicans, please contact the voter protection team IMMEDIATELY and collect the mailing from the voter.

SIGNATURES:
Florida law does not require a voter to update his/her signature on file with the county.
It is fine for a county supervisor or other official to request such an update, but they cannot threaten the right to vote if a voter does not respond.

VOTE-BY-MAIL (VBM):
If a voter received a vote-by-mail ballot, s/he can still vote in person, though voting in person is not recommended in this case.
To vote in person after requesting an absentee ballot, the voter must RETURN the vote-by-mail ballot to the voter's precinct or to an early voting site.
If the voter does not have the absentee ballot and the election official cannot confirm that the absentee ballot was returned, the voter will have to vote a provisional ballot (which is not counted until after the election IF the voter's registration information is confirmed).
A voter may also turn in a vote-by-mail ballot at the SOE's office by 7pm on November 4.
The ballot must be received by 7pm on November 4; POSTMARKS DO NOT COUNT.
Anyone is allowed to pick up completed absentee ballots from voters (sealed in their signed envelopes) and deliver them to the Supervisor of Elections, no later than 7pm on election day.

VOTER REGISTRATION:
The First Amendment protects voter registration activity, but the government may place reasonable restrictions.
Registration activities at government buldings may be limited for security reasons or for traffic control.
Registration activities at public parks or beaches may be limited for security reasons so that visitors can enjoy the available recreational space and have personal space.
Since the legal analysis is highly fact intensive, you should call the Florida Campaign for Change if questions arise.

CONCLUSION:
The Florida Democratic Party and Obama for America are working around the clock to make sure people are able to vote and that their vote is counted.
To this end, the campaign has recruited thousands of attorneys and law students to be present at polling sites during early voting and Election Day so that they can help voters.

Link to Florida Voting by Obama Campaign Part 1 of 3: Early Voting

Link to Florida Voting by Obama Campaign Part 2 of 3: Voting by Mail