The seemingly endless road to election day concludes Tuesday, and the fate of the presidency rests on voters' shoulders. For some, voting will be easy. For others, Tuesday's election is a chore. The ballot is long, and early voting lines have been lengthy, too.
Here are some tips to stay sane on election day:
Verify your precinct
Voters who have moved from one Florida county to another should fill out an usps change of address form, call the supervisor of elections Monday to verify their address change and verify their new polling location. Voters must vote in their assigned precinct, or they will have to cast a provisional ballot.
The voter identification card contains information on voting precinct and district. Voters also can look up their voting location through the supervisor of elections website.
Bring ID
To cast a ballot, bring a photo and signature ID to the polls. The following IDs will be accepted:
- Valid Florida driver's license or ID
- military ID
- United States passport
- debit or credit card with picture ID
- student ID
- retirement ID
- neighborhood association ID
- public assistance ID
If a voter's ID does not include a signature, another proof of signature will be required to ensure the signature matches what precincts have on file, said Susan Gill, the supervisor of elections for Citrus County. If a voter does not have a picture and signature ID, he or she can cast a provisional ballot.
A provisional ballot is a regular ballot that is placed in an envelope that the voter signs. The provisional ballots are taken back to the supervisor of elections office, and the signature on the envelope is matched with the signature that the office has on file. As long as the signature on the provisional ballot matches the signature on file, the vote will be counted.
Voters who do not have proof of registration can cast a provisional ballot, and the vote will be counted as long as the proof of registration is given to the supervisor of elections within 48 hours.
Get in line by 7 p.m.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. At 7 p.m., the poll deputy will stand behind the last person in line and declare polls closed. Gill said that anyone in line at 7 p.m. will have the chance to cast their ballot, no matter how long it takes.
Lines are likely to be long in the morning hours, taper off in the afternoon and pick up again after 5 p.m.
Know your ballot
Because the ballot is two pages long, voters should have an idea of how they will vote on races and amendments prior to election day. Sample ballots have been mailed and are available online.
Voters do not have to vote for every race or amendment to have their ballot counted.
Prepare for showers
Tuesday's weather forecast includes a high chance of rain, which may affect voting lines, Gill said. Keep an eye on the forecast before heading out to the polls, and bring an umbrella in case it rains.