July September 2014 Volume 4, Issue 3 B r o w a r d C o u n t y S u p e r v i s o r o f E l e c t i o n s THE V.O.T.E. In this issue: Message from the Supervisor of Elections Broward County Supervisor of Elections History General Election Voting History Pg. 1 Pg. 2 Election Day Workers Pg. 3 Request Your Absentee Ballot! Attention Voters! Pg. 4 What s On Your Ballot Registered Voters Early Voting Times, Dates & Sites General Please Bring Your Picture Identification Election Myths Vs. Facts Election Myths Vs. Facts (Cont.) Pg. 5 Pg. 6 Pg. 7 Main Office 115 S. Andrews Ave, #102 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 Voting Equipment Center 1501 N.W. 40th Avenue Lauderhill, FL 33313 Monday Friday 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. E. Pat Larkins 520 MLK Blvd. Pompano Beach, FL 33060 Tuesday & Thursday 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. V O I C E O F T H E E L E C T I O N S Message from Dr. Brenda C. Snipes Dear one million sixty-three thousand two hundred fifty-eight Broward County Voters. As I write this huge number (1,063,258), I am impressed! Each of you is a member of a very powerful group a member who has the power to impact the future through casting your vote across all levels of government. We encourage you to cast your vote and let your voices be heard. You may choose the voting option which best suits your schedule vote by mail, vote early or vote on election day (November 4, 2014). Each of these methods has its own special characteristics. Vote-by-mail ballots (absentee) are available upon request. If your request is already on file, you will receive your ballot beginning next week. Requests for ballots to be mailed are accepted until Wednesday, October 29, 2014. Voted ballots need to be returned to the SOE no later than 7:00 p.m. on election day. Early voting has become a very popular form of voting. This year, we will offer a fourteen-day schedule at twenty locations across Broward County. You may vote Monday, through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The African American Research Library will be open on Sunday, November 2nd from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On November 4th, voters may choose to go to their assigned polling place. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Because some locations and precinct numbers may have changed, voters should verify their polling location by reviewing the voter information card. If the card has a date before 2013, please contact our office or visit our website at www.browardsoe.org and click on precinct finder to access your updated polling location. Remember that a picture I.D. with signature is required when voting early or at your polling place. The Florida Driver's License is the preferred form of I.D (other accepted forms of ID are mentioned in this brochure). Phone: 954-357-7050 www.browardsoe.org E-mail: thevote@browardsoe.org Included in this brochure is a list of commonly asked questions regarding election procedures. Please review to get answers to some of your questions before casting your ballot. 1
BROWARD COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS HISTORY GENERAL ELECTION VOTING HISTORY Year Registered Voted 1966 206,911 132,351 1968 244,869 193,634 1970 257,866 168,270 1972 338,994 272,933 1974 378,428 200,847 THEN NOW As we look back and see how the Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office has evolved, we see the importance of our office and how imbedded it is into our history. Broward County was formed from a part of Palm Beach County and a part of Dade County in 1915. In 1916 the Primaries were held in June and the General Elections in November. The Broward County Supervisor of Elections had six precincts with a total registration of 908 voters. Presently, Broward County has 577 precincts and over one million voters to account for, and the Primary Election is conducted on Tuesday, 10 weeks prior to the General Election. The chart on the right is a voting history of all the General Elections conducted in Broward County since 1966. You should be able to identify how voter registration and involvement in the electoral process have increased throughout the years. 1976 429,231 353,241 1978 461,441 300,374 1980 545,698 422,067 1982 517,273 324,548 1984 623,355 466,082 1986 615,886 377,955 1988 672,411 472,802 1990 635,221 342,647 1992 657,548 542,547 1994 661,580 407,345 1996 801,087 519,583 1998 817,403 372,512 2000 887,764 588,007 2002 978,297 443,912 2004 1,032,098 709,724 2006 923,647 411,489 2008 1,008,836 739,861 2010 1,041,761 426,973 2012 1,140,456 762,345 2
Election Day Workers Did you know that approximately 7,000 workers are needed to assist our citizens with the voting process on Election Day in Broward County? Each election volunteer is a part of our important democratic process by which American citizens have the opportunity to select their leaders and have a voice in government. In order to participate, you must be a registered Broward County voter. You will be required to attend a training session for any of the following positions: Election Worker $200 Voting System Tech $200 EViD Operator $165 Early Voting Worker $10/hr. Call Center Operator $130-$190 Poll Deputy $160 Regional Site Worker $75 $150 Special Deputy $165 + Mileage For more information on how to become an election day worker in Broward County, you may contact us at 954-459-9911. Vote from home! To request an absentee ballot to be mailed to your home address, you may go online at www.browardsoe.org or call 954-357-7055. NOTE: Florida Law requires that if the ballot is requested to be mailed to an address other than the elector s address on file in the Florida Voter Registration System, the request must be made in writing, signed by the elector, and delivered to the Supervisor of Elections office. (F.S.101.62) 3
Vote with Confidence! Have you moved recently? Have you changed your name? Would you like to change your party? To update your voter status, please call 954-357-7050. ATTENTION VOTERS! GENERAL ELECTION November 4, 2014 The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on election day. Book closing is October 6, 2014 What s On Your Ballot As a non-partisan office, the Supervisor of Elections is responsible for listing the candidates and/or amendments of any upcoming election on her website. Here are some thoughts that our office can share with you in regards to becoming more informed on candidates or amendments. For information on candidates and/or amendments listed on your ballot, you may go to our website at www.browardsoe.org and click on the SAMPLE BALLOT link located on the main page. Then, you will need to enter your address and click again on the sample ballot option to retrieve the information. *Voters may e-mail their requests for a sample ballot to: sampleballotrequest@browardsoe.org. Many newspapers, radio stations, and news stations interview the candidates and report information on them. Media may also announce upcoming forums in your area or debates that will take place on television. You may contact the candidate s political party for information about the candidate. You can use an internet search engine such as Google or Yahoo to look up the candidate. Many of the candidates have a website that gives you more information on them. You can also place in the search box: 2014 Florida Amendments and various websites that have more information will appear such as the Division of Elections, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the League of Women Voters, etc. REGISTERED VOTERS As of September 30, 2014 Total: 1,063,258 Democrat: 543,489 Republican: 235,721 Other: 284,048 4
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PLEASE BRING YOUR PICTURE IDENTIFICATION ON ELECTION DAY! Acceptable Forms of Picture Identification - Florida Driver s License - Military or Student ID - Florida ID Card - Public Assistance ID - US Passport - Debit/ Credit Card - Retirement Center ID - Neighborhood Assoc. ID *IDs must have current signature. Any combination of Picture and Signature are accepted. ELECTION MYTHS VS. FACTS MYTH: The address on the driver s license must match the address in the voter registration record in order for the voter to be able to vote. FACT: The address on the driver s license does not need to match the address in the voter registration record. If you have moved and haven t changed your driver s license to reflect your new address, that s okay. What is important is that you vote in the precinct where you currently live, no matter what your driver s license says. MYTH: If a voter does not have a driver s license, the voter cannot vote. FACT: In order to vote at the polls during early voting or on Election Day, you must show a photo and signature identification. Identification must be current and valid. If your photo identification does not contain your signature, you will be required to show an additional form of identification that provides your signature (see I.D. listed above). Please note: I.D. is not required for persons who cast an absentee ballot. However, the signature on the voter registration database is compared to the signature on the voting certificate envelope. The two signatures must match in order for the ballot to be counted. MYTH: Voters will be turned away if they are wearing campaign apparel. FACT: Voters may wear campaign buttons, shirts, hats, or any other campaign items when they enter the polling place to vote. Voters may not otherwise campaign there. (From the Polling Place Procedures Manual incorporated within Rule 1S-2.034, Florida Administrative Code). So, merely going to the polls wearing campaign paraphernalia is OK, but, by statute (s. 102.031(4), Florida Statutes), one cannot solicit voters within 100 feet of the entrance to any polling place. MYTH: Voters will not be allowed to vote, even if they are in line before the polls close. FACT: Any voter who is in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote (See sections 100.01, Florida Statutes). 6
ELECTION MYTHS VS. FACTS (CONT.) MYTH: If your house is under foreclosure, you will not be able to vote. FACT: A foreclosure notice does not necessarily mean that a person no longer resides in the home, as people often remain in the home after foreclosure begins and are sometimes able to refinance the home. Voters whose homes have been foreclosed, but who remain in their homes may continue to vote in their assigned precinct. Voters who have physically moved from their foreclosed residence with no intention of returning to that address may still vote, but should provide a change of address to the supervisor of elections. Voters must vote in the precinct where their residence is located. MYTH: If you are a Florida college student, you have to change your permanent residence to your college address. FACT: Students can maintain their voter registration at their hometown address, or they may register to vote in the jurisdiction where they attend school. Those who choose to maintain a Broward County registration will want to remember to contact our office for absentee ballots at election time. Students must change their address if they want to vote on the ballot for their college town. MYTH: If the voter is homeless and has no legal residence, the voter may not vote. FACT: State registration laws may not discriminate against the homeless in voter registration as long as the homeless applicant for voter registration intends to remain in a locale and has either a place where he or she can receive messages or an effective mailing address. The homeless person will vote in the precinct where the applicant receives messages (e.g., rescue mission) or the precinct in which the applicant s effective mailing address is located. MYTH: IF the voter does not have the voter information card, the voter may not vote. FACT: The voter information card is not necessary to vote. It is a helpful tool for the voter to know their districts & polling location. MYTH: Provisional ballots are only counted when there is a close race. FACT: A provisional ballot is always counted when the voter is shown to be registered and eligible, regardless of the closeness of the outcome of the election. A person who votes provisionally simply because he or she did not present an I.D. at the polling place will not have to do anything else. If the signatures on that ballot certificate and the voter roll match, the provisional ballot is counted if the provisional ballot is cast in the correct precinct. MYTH: Absentee ballots are only counted when there is a close race. FACT: All absentee ballots are counted if properly executed, which includes making sure that the return envelope is signed and that the signature matches the voter s signature on the voter registration database. MYTH: Voters need a reason to request an absentee ballot. FACT: Florida is a no-excuse absentee ballot state. Any qualified (registered) voters are permitted to vote absentee under Florida law. The law requires a written request signed by the voter if the request is to mail the absentee ballot to an address other than the legal residence or the mailing address on file. EXCEPTION: An absent uniformed service voter or an overseas voter is not required to have a signed, written request for the ballot to be mailed to different address (FS101.62 effective 01/01/14). MYTH: There is no more early voting on Sundays. FACT: There are two Sundays during Early Voting. Early Voting for the General Election begins Monday, October 20 th, to Sunday, November 2 nd. Check our website at www.browardsoe.org for specific times and locations. 7