What You Need To Know To Vote In The Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Area

The Presidential election isn’t until November, but you’ve got to register to vote now in order to participate. The deadline is July 28, 2008. If you don’t register, or miss the deadline, you can’t vote in the Aug, 26 primaries and nonpartisan elections. All you can do is join the other nonvoters and gripe about the way the government is run.

What You Need To Know

Requirements: Be 18 and a citizen. Felons who haven’t had voting rights restored and people judged mentally incompetent are not allowed to register.
People who are 17 can register early and will be allowed to vote if they turn 18 by the day of the election.
What you need: Driver’s license number or last four digits of your Social Security number.
Deadline: July 28. Voter registration applications postmarked that day will count, said Mary Cooney, public service director at the Broward Supervisor of Elections office. People who miss the deadline will get registered, but not for the Aug. 26 election.
Applications: Can be obtained at Supervisor of Elections Office headquarters or branches, by phoning 954-357-7050, or by going online to Broward County Office Of Elections and clicking on the “Register to Vote” tab on the left side.
Broward Supervisor of Elections Office locations are open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. They are closed on major holidays.

The County office here locally in the Fort Lauderdale real estate market is located in the Governmental Center, at 115 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale.

A Closed System

Florida has closed primaries. That means most primaries are available only to people registered as Democrats or Republicans. And people registered in one party can’t vote in the other’s primary.

If someone wants to switch, that needs to be done by the July 28 deadline. After the primary, a person can switch back. The entire form must be filled out for party switches, and a box indicating the switch should be checked, Cooney said.

That means a Republican who wants a say in Broward, where most of the contests are on the Democratic side, could become a Democrat for the primary then switch back. An independent voter could do the same.

Some Aug. 26 contests are open to all voters, including people who aren’t registered in a party. Nonpartisan contests such as School Board and judgeships are open to all. And some primaries are open to all voters because only candidates from one party are running. When that happens, as it is in some legislative contests, all voters can participate because the primary winner is the one who wins the office and there’s no November election.

For Smoother Voting

Voters would have a better voting experience if they make sure their information at the Elections Office is up-to-date.

Although addresses and names can be changed at the polling place on the day of an election, Snipes said it would be much faster if someone who’s moved or changed names updates the information before going to the polls. If someone’s signature has changed, that can also be updated, Cooney said.

All that can be done by filling out a voter registration form.

sources: Broward County Office Of Elections | Sun Sentinel