CIVIC Education 101

From the basics of civic participation, like registering to vote, to complex and seemingly remote issues like redistricting, visit this page to learn about the structure of state government and how to make your participation count.

Voter Information

Registering to Vote

To vote in the upcoming election on November 4, your voter registration application must be postmarked by October 6. To register, click on the form below to download it, fill in the information. Remember, you must include either your Florida driver's license or the last four digits of your social security number.

You can hand deliver it to a driver's license office, hand deliver or mail it to your county Supervisor of Elections, or mail it to the state Division of Elections at:
Division of Elections
Bureau of Voter Registration Services
Room 316, R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee , Florida 32399-0250

Click here to download a Florida voter registration application.

Voting Early or By Mail

To ensure that your vote is cast and counted even if something unexpected happens on Election Day and you can't get to the polls, you can either vote early or vote by mail. You'll also avoid the long lines predicted at polling places on November 4.

Early voting begins October 20 and ends November 1. Each county's Supervisor of Elections decides how many early voting locations they will open and where they will be located. Visit the website for your county Supervisor to learn where you can vote early.

Vote by mail requests must be submitted to your local Supervisor of Elections no later than October 29. Your absentee ballot will be mailed to you, and must be returned no later than 7 pm on Election Day (postmark date doesn't matter). If you decide not to vote by mail or if you forget to mail your ballot in time, you must bring it with you to your polling place in order to vote in person on Election Day. To request an absentee ballot so you can vote by mail, visit the website for your county Supervisor

Voter Rights and Voter Protection

When you go to the polls, voting should be a simple process. If you feel you have been unfairly denied a ballot or improperly forced to vote a provisional ballot, or if there is unnecessary police presence or other intimidation, you should seek help immediately to ensure that your vote counts.

Resources for voter protection:
Division of Elections Voter Fraud Hotline: 1-877-868-3737

Constitutional Amendments on the 2008 Ballot

There are currently six proposed amendments to the Florida constitution on the November ballot. To pass and become part of the constitution, each must be approved by at least 60% of voters. Below are brief descriptions of each, and some resources for further information.

  • Amendment 1, "Relating to Property Rights/Ineligible Aliens:" Placed on the ballot by the Florida Legislature, this amendment is intended to remove a discriminatory provision placed in the constitution to prevent Asian immigrants from owning property solely on the basis of their race. Sponsors say the provision has little practical effect and should be removed to eliminate vestiges of racism from the constitution. For more details, check out this article in the Tampa Tribune..
  • Amendment 2, "Florida Marriage Protection Amendment": Placed on the ballot by an anti-gay organization, Amendment Two purports to ban same-sex marriage. The language is so broad, however, that many legal experts believe it could also be used to defeat same-sex civil unions and even deny rights currently granted to unmarried straight couples, like health insurance, hospital visitation and more. For more information, visit Florida Red And Blue or review this Orlando Sentinel editorial.
  • Amendment 3, "Changes and Improvements Not Affecting the Assessed Value of Residential Real Property": Placed on the ballot by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, this amendment authorizes the Legislature to prohibit county property appraisers from increasing the assessment on a home because of hurricane-hardening improvements. Supporters say that homeowners should be encouraged to harden their homes against storms, and shouldn't face increased taxes because of those improvements.
  • Amendment 4, "Property Tax Exemption of Perpetually Conserved Land: Placed on the ballot by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, this amendment provides a reduction in property taxes to property owners who agree to permanently conserve their land in a natural state. It is supported by a number of respected environmental and business groups, and is viewed as a way to continue preserving land even during the current budget crunch when the state may be less able to fund Florida Forever, a state program that purchases land for conservation.
  • Amendment 6, "Assessment of Working Waterfront Property Based Upon Current Use": Placed on the ballot by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, this amendment would require waterfront businesses, like marinas, restaurants, commercial fishing, and the like, pay property taxes on their current use, rather than "highest and best use" as it is now. Supporters say this will protect public access to the waterfront by protecting these establishments from being driven out of business by skyrocketing property tax assessments that are based on the value of their land if it were developed as a high-rise condo. Opponents agree these business owners deserve protection, but believe this proposal is to open for abuse. For differing opinions, you can read a Tampa Tribune editorial in support and an Orlando Sentinel editorial opposing.
  • Amendment 8, "Local Option Community College Funding": Placed on the ballot by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, this amendment would allow counties to ask voters to impose a local sales tax to support community colleges. The proposal is supported by the Council of Community College Presidents and especially by community colleges in the larger, more populous counties like Miami-Dade. Supporters say that state funding is so tight right now, that local voters should have the option to supplement funding. Opponents worry that it will begin a shift in responsibility for community colleges from the state to local revenue, and eventually result in inequities for schools in smaller, less prosperous counties. For a discussion of the pros and cons, read this article in Inside Higher Ed.

Redistricting

Every ten years, after the national census, every state is required to redraw their Congressional and legislative districts. "Gerrymandering" is when the political party in power draws those boundaries to its advantage in elections. If you take a close look at this map of Florida's Congressional districts or this map of Florida's state house districts, you can see how many of the districts wind around each other, splitting cities and counties, even crossing from one coast to the other, with no logical geographical divisions.

Over the last decade, there have been several efforts to enact guidelines for redistricting to ensure that districts are drawn fairly, requiring districts that are compact with lines that follow existing political and geographic boundaries. While the districts would be drawn to protect minority voting rights, they could not be drawn to favor or disfavor any incumbent or political party. A bipartisan organization called Fair Districts Florida is collecting signatures to place two constitutional amendments on the 2010 ballot. You can visit their website to learn more.