By Bryant Thigpen
Riverbend News
Although the Tuesday, Nov. 3 Presidential Election is still nearly two months away, the registration deadline is even closer for those planning to vote in the upcoming election.
According to the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, the last day to register to vote in the general election is Monday, Oct. 5, whether one is registering in person, by mail or online.
Eligible individuals, of course, can register to vote at any time of the year. But in order to participate in a particular upcoming election, the registration must be completed 29 days prior to the election, according to the Division of Elections.
Registrations must also be current. That means that residents must register not only if they haven’t previously registered, but also if they have changed their name, address or political party affiliation.
Registering is simple and may be done in person, by mail or online.
To register in person
To register in person, Lafayette County residents may go to the elections office located at 120 West Main Street, Room 129 in Mayo. The elections office for residents in Suwannee County is located at 302 Pine Avenue Southwest in Live Oak. Hamilton County residents can register at the elections office located at 1153 US Highway 41 Northwest, Suite 1 in Jasper.
To register by mail
To register by mail, Hamilton County residents may call the elections office at (386) 792-1426, and request that the form be mailed, then complete and return it. Suwannee County residents may call (386) 362-2616 to request the form. Residents of Lafayette County may call the elections office at (386) 294-1261 and request the registration form be mailed to them.
Register online
Finally, local residents can register online by going on the Supervisor of Elections Office’s website and clicking on the “Register to Vote” tab. The website for Suwannee County residents is www.SuwanneeVotes.com; residents of Lafayette County may visit www.LafayetteVotes.net; and Hamilton County residents may visit www.HamiltonVotes.com.
Residents of Lafayette, Suwannee and Hamilton counties may also go directly to the Division of Elections’ website at https://registertovote-florida.gov/home.
Another important date to keep in mind is Saturday, Oct. 24, if voters plan to request that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed to them. This is the last day that the elections office will send vote-by-mail ballots to people who request them. Requests must also be made to the elections office no later than 5 on p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.
No matter if the elections office sends out the vote-by-mail ballots, or if individuals pick them up, they must be returned no later than 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in order for them to be counted. Individuals can choose to return the vote-by-mail ballots through the postal service or bring them in person to the elections office.
The Division of Elections encourages those who choose to return their vote-by-mail ballots through the mail to do so as early as possible to ensure for the ballots’ timely receipt by the elections office, as there exists a possibility of mail delivery delays by the post office.
Early voting
Finally, there is the early voting. Those wishing to participate in early voting in Lafayette County may do so between Oct. 24-31, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Lafayette County elections office located at 120 West Main Street, Room 129 in Mayo. Early voting for Suwannee County will take place between Oct. 24-Nov. 1, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., at the Judicial Annex in Live Oak, the Robert Leonard Public Library in Branford and the Jo Kennon Public Library in Dowling Park. Hamilton County residents may vote early from Oct. 24-31, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Supervisor of Elections office.