Florida's Voter Registration Deadline Is Monday as Democrats Edge GOP in September Sign-Ups

Floridians who want to vote in the Nov. 3 general election have until Monday, Oct. 5, to register, and new state data show Florida Democrats outpaced Republicans in new voter registrations during September for the first time in five years. Democrats added 29,633 newly registered voters last month compared with 29,140 for Republicans, a margin of 493.

The September edge is small and does little to dent the Republican Party of Florida's overall lead of roughly 1.55 million active registered voters. But it marks a break from a long stretch in which monthly reports showed Democrats steadily losing ground, and it arrives as both parties make a final push before the registration books close.

Monday's deadline applies to anyone who is not yet registered in Florida, including new residents, people who recently turned 18 or will turn 18 by Election Day, and eligible citizens who have never registered.

The deadline and key dates

Under Florida law, the registration deadline falls 29 days before an election. Voters who are already registered can update their address or other information after Oct. 5, but new registrations submitted after the deadline will not count for the general election.

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 22. Supervisors of elections were required to send mail ballots to domestic voters who had requests on file between Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

The following dates, drawn from the Division of Elections calendar, govern the rest of the election:

Supervisors of elections in many counties may offer additional optional early voting days beyond the mandatory window. Voters should check with their county supervisor for local early voting sites and hours.

How to register or check your status

Eligible Floridians can register online through the state's official portal, RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, which requires a Florida driver's license or state identification card number and the last four digits of a Social Security number. Paper applications can be submitted in person or by mail to a county supervisor of elections, at driver's license offices and at certain public assistance offices.

A paper application mailed to a supervisor's office must be postmarked by the deadline. Voters who are unsure whether they are registered, or whether their address is current, can look up their status through the Division of Elections or their county supervisor's website.

Florida requires voters to show a photo and signature identification at the polls. Accepted forms include a Florida driver's license, a Florida identification card, a U.S. passport and several other government-issued IDs.

Florida holds closed party primaries, but the general election is open to every registered voter regardless of party affiliation. That means party changes made now do not affect which candidates a voter can choose on the Nov. 3 ballot, though they will matter for future primaries.

Who is eligible to register

To register in Florida, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a legal resident of Florida and at least 18 years old by Election Day to vote. Background: Florida also allows 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister, and their registration becomes active when they turn 18.

People who have been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting cannot register unless their rights have been restored. Under Amendment 4, which Florida voters approved in 2018, most people with felony convictions regain voting rights after completing all terms of their sentence, including parole, probation and court-ordered fines, fees and restitution. People convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense are excluded and must seek clemency.

State officials have urged anyone with a past felony conviction who is unsure of their eligibility to confirm their status before registering, because registering while ineligible can carry criminal penalties. Florida's Office of Election Crimes and Security, created in 2022, investigates alleged election law violations.

Voters who move within Florida can update their address with their new county's supervisor of elections, and changes of address can be made up to and including Election Day at the polling place in the voter's new county of residence.

Inside the September numbers

The September registration figures were first reported by Florida Politics and the Tampa Bay Times based on state data. Democrats' 493-voter margin among new registrations was their first monthly lead over Republicans in five years, according to those reports.

The overall picture still heavily favors the GOP. As of Aug. 31, Republicans had 5,649,410 active registered voters statewide compared with 4,098,139 for Democrats, according to state figures cited in the coverage. Background: Republicans first overtook Democrats in active registrations in Florida in late 2021 and have widened the gap in every year since.

The Republican Party of Florida closed 2025 with 5,509,354 registered voters out of 13,340,914 total registrations statewide, the largest registration edge in the party's history, according to the reports. Voters with no party affiliation and minor party voters make up a large and growing share of the remainder.

Changes in registration totals reflect more than new sign-ups. Supervisors of elections regularly move voters to inactive status or remove them from the rolls through list maintenance, and voters can switch parties, so the active totals can shift even in months when one party leads in new registrations.

Why one month matters to both parties

For Democrats, the September data offer a talking point after years of losses that turned Florida from a swing state into a reliably Republican one in statewide races. Party leaders have argued that energy around this year's races, including an open governor's seat and a U.S. Senate special election, is translating into new voters.

Republicans counter that a single month does not change the fundamentals. A lead of more than 1.5 million active voters means Democrats would need to win large majorities of unaffiliated voters, along with heavy turnout from their own base, to compete statewide.

Registration also does not equal turnout. Florida's recent elections have shown Republicans with a consistent advantage in both mail and in-person voting, and both parties will spend the coming weeks focused on getting already-registered supporters to cast ballots.

National Democrats have also signaled interest in Florida this cycle. Congressional Democratic leaders visited South Florida this week to campaign with House candidates in competitive districts, according to Florida Politics, while Republicans are working to defend and expand their hold on the state's congressional delegation.

What is on the ballot

Floridians will choose a new governor this year because Gov. Ron DeSantis is term-limited. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is the Republican nominee, and Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to campaign for him in Lakeland this week, according to Florida Politics.

Voters will also decide a U.S. Senate special election for the seat once held by Marco Rubio, who became U.S. secretary of state in 2025. Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who was appointed to the seat, faces Democrat Angie Nixon in a race that recent polling has shown to be competitive.

The ballot also includes Cabinet races, including attorney general, congressional and legislative contests, local races and proposed constitutional amendments, among them a closely watched property tax measure. Constitutional amendments in Florida require 60 percent voter approval to pass.

County supervisors of elections post sample ballots online ahead of early voting, and voters can review them to see every race and question they will be asked to decide, which can vary by county and district.

Vote-by-mail reminders

Florida voters who requested a mail ballot in earlier cycles may need to submit a new request. Background: A 2021 state law shortened how long mail ballot requests remain valid, so standing requests now expire after each general election cycle, and many voters must renew them.

Completed mail ballots must be received by the county supervisor of elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day. A postmark is not enough, and elections officials routinely urge voters to return ballots well before the deadline or drop them off at an official drop box during early voting hours.

Voters can track the status of their mail ballot through their county supervisor of elections, including when it was sent, received and counted.

Background: Under a 2021 state law, secure ballot drop boxes may be used only during early voting hours at early voting sites and at supervisors' offices, and they must be monitored in person. Voters can also return mail ballots through the U.S. Postal Service or in person at a supervisor's office. If a mail ballot's signature does not match the one on file, or if the voter forgot to sign, supervisors notify the voter, who can submit a cure affidavit with identification by the deadline set in state law to have the ballot counted.

What's next

Registration closes at the end of Monday, Oct. 5. County supervisors of elections will then process applications received by the deadline and update the voter rolls ahead of early voting.

The Division of Elections will publish book closing statistics after the deadline, giving the final party breakdown of the electorate for the general election. Those figures will show whether Democrats' September momentum continued into the final days of registration.

Mail ballot requests remain open through Oct. 22, early voting runs at least Oct. 24 through Oct. 31, and polls open statewide on Nov. 3.

Polling places in Florida are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Election Day, and anyone in line at 7 p.m. is allowed to vote. Florida spans two time zones, so polls in much of the western Panhandle close an hour later on the Eastern clock.