Page 14 - Voter GuideNEWESTGUIDE version I_Classical

Registering To Vote - Things to Remember

WHEN TO REGISTER / BOOK CLOSING INFORMATION
You can apply to register to vote at any time. However, registration books close 29
days before each election. You must be registered for at least 29 days before you can
vote in an election. If you mail your registration application, the date your application
is postmarked will be your registration date. If your application is complete and
you are a qualified voter, a voter information card will be mailed to you.
Your Sumter County voter registration will permit you to vote in national, state,
county and municipal elections, if you live in a municipality.
PARTY AFFILIATION (Florida is a Closed-Primary State)
You may register in any political party of your choice or register with no party
affiliation. However, only party members may vote in their party’s primary.
EXCEPTION: If all candidates for an office have the same party affiliation and the
winner will have no opposition in the general election, then all qualified voters,
regardless of party affiliation, may vote in the primary election for that office.
Nonpartisan judicial, school board offices and special districts are included in a
primary election. All registered voters are entitled to vote on these nonpartisan
offices.
At general elections, all voters regardless of their party affiliation can vote in the
general election.
WHEN YOU MOVE ...
If you move your residence outside your assigned precinct, you must vote in the
precinct to which you have moved. If you move, you must notify the supervisor of
elections.
You cannot vote in any precinct other than the one in which you live and are
registered. However, if you are temporarily living outside your home county, you can
apply to be registered and vote in the precinct that contains the main office of the
supervisor of elections. These voters will not be registered to vote in municipal
elections. If you move to another county in Florida, you must vote in your new county.
WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME ...
If you change your name by marriage or other legal process, you must provide notice
of such change to the voter registration official using a voter registration application
signed by the voter. If you have not provided this information prior to going to vote,
you must update this information prior to voting.
WHEN YOUR SIGNATURE HAS CHANGED ...
Updating your signature with the supervisor of elections office is very important. Vote
by mails and petitions are verified by the voter’s signature in our data base. If the
voter’s signature has changed either from age or health, and our office hasn’t received
an update on the signature, it could mean that your vote by mail ballot won’t be
counted or signed petition verified. Don’t leave it up to the canvassing board to
determine if your vote should count. Updating your signature is easy. Use a voter
registration application and mail it in or hand-deliver to one of our offices today.

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