Early voting for Florida’s presidential election ends Saturday

Early voting in Florida for the Nov. 5 general election officially closes Saturday for a majority of the state’s 67 counties. Last-minute voters should cast their ballot in person on Election Day or ensure their ballot is received by mail before the polls close at 7 p.m.

Nearly two dozen counties have extended early voting until Sunday due to the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

So far, fewer than half of Florida’s 14 million registered voters have done so. In the 2020 general election, 9,187,898 Floridians cast ballots early or by mail. As of Friday, there are still 914,270 unreturned ballots.

Republicans have outnumbered Democrats by almost double in early voting, while only slightly more Democrats have voted by mail than Republicans. However, the election could come down to independent voters in the Sunshine State as 1,364,203 people have voted so far.

There’s still time to make sure your voice is heard in the 2024 presidential election on November 5. Here’s what you need to know.

When does early voting end in Florida?

For most Florida counties, early voting ends Saturday at 7 p.m., which is required by state and federal law. There are 17 provinces that have applied for extensions, allowing residents to cast their votes early on Sunday.

Alachua: October 21-Nov. 3, from 9am to 6pm
Bradford: October 21-Nov. 3, from 9am to 6pm
Broward: October 21-Nov. 3, 7am to 7pm
Charlotte: October 21-Nov. 3, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM (due to Hurricane Milton, early voting at the historic courthouse location has been moved to the Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center)
Duval: October 21-Nov. 3, Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Saturday-Sunday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Gadsden: October 21-Nov. 3, Monday-Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday-Sunday from 9am to 5pm
Hillsborough: October 21-Nov. 3, from 7am to 7pm
Leon: October 21-Nov. 3, most locations 10am to 6pm, Leon County Courthouse open 8am to 4pm
Tax: October 21-Nov. 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m
Miami Dade: October 21-Nov. 3, from 7am to 7pm
Orange: October 21-Nov. 3, from 8am to 8pm
Osceola: October 21-Nov. 3, from 8am to 8pm
Palm beach: October 21-Nov. 3, from 7am to 7pm
Polk: October 21-Nov. 3, from 7am to 7pm
Sarasota: October 21-Nov. 3, from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM (Please note that some voting locations have changed due to Milton)
Seminole: October 21-Nov. 3, from 7am to 7pm
St. Lucie: October 21-Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., November 3, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Click here for a complete list of early voting locations in Florida County.

What do I need to vote early in Florida?

All you need to bring to cast your vote early in Florida is a valid photo ID and signature. Of course, you must also be a registered voter.

Acceptable forms include:

Florida driver’s license or identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
American passport
debit or credit card
military ID card
student card
pension center ID
neighborhood association ID
Public Assistance ID
Veterans Health ID issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
permit to carry a concealed weapon or firearm
employee identification card issued by the federal government, the state of Florida, or a county or municipality

Voter turnout in Florida so far

Here’s a snapshot of turnout for early and mail-in voting in Florida as of 8:12 a.m. Friday:

Vote on postal numbers

Republican: 923,497
Democrat: 1,091,810
Other: 55,372
NPA: 539,233
Total: 2,609,912

Early voting numbers

Republican: 2,072,374
Democrat: 1,126,301
Other: 98,403
NPA: 824,970
Total: 4,122,048

Total number of voters

Republican: 2,995,871
Democrat: 2,218,171
Other: 153,775
NPA: 1,364,203
Total: 6,732,020

Would you like to see the distribution in your province?

Early voting and vote by mail numbers in Escambia, Santa Rosa Counties

Here’s a look at how voters in Escambia and Santa Rosa County voted in the 2024 presidential election.

Escambia County – 96,506 votes so far

Postal votes: 29,430
- Republicans: 12,976
- Democrats: 11,273
- Other: 601
- NPA: 4,580
Early in-person voting: 67,076
- Republicans: 38,994
- Democrats: 17,080
- Other: 1,469
- NPA: 9,533

Santa Rosa County – 70,163 votes so far

Postal votes: 14,287
- Republicans: 7,551
- Democrats: 4,036
- Other: 343
- NPA: 2,357
Early in-person voting: 55,876
- Republicans: 40,143
- Democrats: 6,856
- Other: 1,224
- NPA: 7,653

How does turnout compare to the 2020 presidential election?

Florida had a whopping 71.8% of voters in the 2020 presidential election, which is 5.8% more than the national average, according to Pew Research.

Turnout in the 2020 presidential elections:

On election day: 1,942,102 (17.4%)
Mail-in votes: 4,546,895 (40.9%)
In-person early voting: 4,332,912 (38.9%)

Turnout in the 2024 presidential election (so far):

Mail-in votes: 2,609,912
Early in-person voting: 4,122,048

Will we know the results on election night in Florida?

There’s a good chance we won’t just see Florida’s election results on election night and have enough votes to project the winners. Florida will begin tabulating results as soon as it receives a ballot, giving it a head start before Tuesday.

In 2020, nearly 80% of Florida voters cast their ballots before Election Day, so getting results should be fairly quick. However, there are only ballots to take into account.

Absent military personnel and civilians abroad have up to 10 days to get their ballots delivered, provided they are postmarked by Election Day.

Provisional ballots cast at polling stations by voters without valid ID or with minor errors that have since been resolved have until 5 p.m. Thursday to present.

Contributors: C.A. Bridges, Cheryl McCloud – USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida