Early voting for Florida's Nov. 3 election opens Monday in most large counties: dates, hours and what's on the ballot

In-person early voting for Florida's Nov. 3 general election begins Monday, Oct. 19, in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Orange and most of the state's other large counties, giving voters two weeks to cast ballots for governor, U.S. Senate, the Legislature, Congress and three proposed constitutional amendments, including the Amendment 3 property tax cut. Not every county starts Monday: Duval opens Tuesday, Hernando and Marion on Thursday, and several smaller counties wait until Saturday, Oct. 24.

Early voting is the option for people who want to vote in person without waiting until Election Day. Unlike Election Day, when voters must go to their assigned precinct, an early voter can use any early voting site in their home county.

Why the dates differ by county

Under Florida law, counties must offer early voting starting no later than the 10th day before the election, which this year is Saturday, Oct. 24, and running through the third day before it, Saturday, Oct. 31. Counties may add days, starting as early as the 15th day before the election, Monday, Oct. 19, and may also open on the Sunday before Election Day, Nov. 1. Central Florida Public Media summarized the rule this way: counties don't have to offer early voting until 10 days before the election, but they can offer it up to five days before that.

That is why Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Hillsborough run the full 14 days through Nov. 1, while Pasco and Monroe end Oct. 31, and Baker, Columbia and Union counties offer only the required window from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31.

Early voting dates by county

The schedules below come from county elections offices and local news reports. Hours vary by county and, in some places, by day, so check your county supervisor of elections website for site addresses and current hours before you go.

Miami-Dade's published schedule lists 28 early voting locations, from the Arcola Lakes Branch Library in Miami to the Naranja Branch Library in Homestead, with a staffed secure ballot intake station at each one. In Duval, which has 24 sites, hours run 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Oct. 20 to Oct. 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekend of Oct. 24 and 25, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, according to Action News Jax.

What's on the ballot

The top of the ballot is the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, between Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly, a former congressman. Voters will also choose a U.S. senator in the contest between Republican Sen. Ashley Moody and Democrat Angie Nixon, along with members of the U.S. House, the Florida Senate and the Florida House, and local leaders.

Three proposed constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by the Legislature each need 60% of the vote to pass:

• Amendment 1 deals with the state's budget stabilization fund, often called the rainy-day fund. The Republican Party of Florida endorsed it; DeSantis called it "foolish," and Donalds opposes it, according to WUSF and WLRN. Jolly supports it, citing Florida Politics.
• Amendment 2 would exempt farm equipment such as tractors and harvesters, and other tangible personal property used for farming or agritourism, from property taxes. A legislative analysis estimated it would reduce local property tax revenue by about $31 million a year starting in the 2027 to 2028 fiscal year.
• Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption on owner-occupied homes and condos from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and cut the cap on annual taxable value increases for non-homestead property to 5% from 10%, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. DeSantis, the state Republican Party and Florida Realtors support it; the Florida Democratic Party, many local officials, sheriffs and public employee unions oppose it, warning of cuts to local services.

Voters statewide will also decide whether to retain Florida Supreme Court Justice Carlos Muñiz for another six-year term, and 22 judges on the state's District Courts of Appeal appear on ballots in their regions, according to WUSF. Merit retention races are nonpartisan. Many counties also have local questions, among them a renewal of Brevard's SOIRL tax for the Indian River Lagoon, bonds for parks, trails and land conservation in Marion, and a school tax rate renewal in Osceola.

What to bring

Every voter, early or on Election Day, must show a current and valid photo ID with a signature, such as a Florida driver's license, a state ID card or a U.S. passport. If the photo ID has no signature, the voter must show a second ID that does, according to WLRN's voter guide. A voter information card is not an acceptable form of identification. Florida allows a photo of your own ballot in the booth, a so-called ballot selfie, though other photography at polling places is barred, WUSF noted.

If you have a mail ballot

Mail voting has been underway for weeks. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Completed mail ballots must reach the county elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day; they can be returned by mail or dropped at a secure ballot intake station at an early voting site during early voting hours. On Election Day itself, mail ballots cannot be dropped at precincts and must be taken to the supervisor of elections office.

Voters who received a mail ballot but would rather vote in person can still do so; on Election Day, WLRN advises bringing the mail ballot to the precinct so elections officials can cancel it.

What's next

Early voting begins Monday and ends Oct. 31 or Nov. 1, depending on the county. Polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, and anyone in line at 7 p.m. may vote. Voters can find sample ballots, and early voting locations on their county supervisor of elections website.