Nearly 64,000 Floridians registered to vote in a weeklong period from Oct. 11 to Oct. 18 and will be able to vote in the 2016 election, according to a late-night email sent Tuesday from Secretary of State Ken Detzner.
Detzner said around 37,000 voter registration applications have already been verified and are now active on the books while another 27,000 are currently in the verification process.
Any Floridian who registers before Oct. 18 and is verified according to Florida law will be eligible to vote by the start of mandatory early voting, which will begin Oct. 29.
Voter registration was extended a week due to Hurricane Matthew. Registration was supposed to close Oct. 11, but U.S. District Court Judge Mark Walker ruled to extend it after the Florida Democratic Party sued Gov. Rick Scott over refusing to extend the deadline.
“Our number one priority is to make sure that voters have the resources they need to have the opportunity to vote,” Detzner said in a press release. “Our goal is to encourage 100 percent voter participation and have zero percent fraud.”
Detzner said Florida would be committed to ensuring that all Floridians who registered to vote. Applications must have been submitted by 5 p.m. Tuesday or postmarked Tuesday in order to be verified. Ballots received in time will be registered to vote by the end of the month.
“That means if you registered by today’s deadline, are eligible, and your registration is verified, you will have all available options to exercise your right to vote, which include: vote-by-mail, early voting, and voting at the polls on Election Day,” Detzner said.
Floridians who submitted their applications will have to have their identities verified, cross-checking IDs with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Social Security Administration.
All registered voters have the opportunity to vote by mail as long as their requests are submitted by Nov. 2. Voters can also pick up their vote-by-mail ballots at their local elections offices. All voters can also vote early at their local polling places, some of which offer two weeks of early voting.
Voters will be required to present a form of identification when they head to the polls. Some forms of accepted ID include a Florida driver’s license, a Florida ID card, a U.S. passport, a debit or credit card or a military identity card.
Full voter registration numbers for the month of October will be available at the end of the month.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
