My general advice on how to insure your vote in FL:

[ddeclue]

1) Re-register ANY time you move or change your name. People get purged through "caging" techniques when they move and a mail piece gets returned.

2) Vote in EVERY election. People get purged for inactivity.

3) KEEP YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE OR STATE ID UP TO DATE AND MATCHING YOUR REGISTRATION. YOU CAN ALSO GET A PASSPORT FROM THE US STATE DEPT FOR $135 good for 10 years OR get a PASSPORT CARD FROM THE US STATE DEPT good for 10 years to prove citizenship but you will still need the FL DL to prove residence. As I recall updating your DL can be done either at the DL office or in some cases by phone or internet if it is just an address change or replacement.

3) REQUEST an ABSENTEE BALLOT. In Florida you do NOT have to be absentee to vote ABSENTEE, it is really vote by mail like in Oregon. ABSENTEES are more likely to be voted and it gives us something to chase in a campaign. UPDATE YOUR REQUEST IF YOU RE-REGISTER.

4) WHEN YOU REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT be sure to state that you want it to be good through the November 2010 elections. A change to Florida's voter laws lets you request a standing absentee ballot for every election until then.

5) RECEIVING THE ABSENTEE from the SOE's office will happen BEFORE EARLY VOTING IS POSSIBLE. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE YOUR ABV three weeks out then this is a sign that something is wrong. Check with your SOE if you fail to receive it before the EV is scheduled to start. In other words get the ABV as an early warning tool and as a back up measure in case you really do happen to be out of town.

6) GO TO YOUR SOE WEBSITE OR CALL THEM BEFORE THE ELECTION to determine when and where EV will be conducted.

7) WHEN YOU GO TO VOTE LEAVE ALL YOUR OBAMA AND OTHER CANDIDATE PARAPHERNALIA IN THE CAR. NO BUTTONS, T-SHIRTS, HATS, PINS, etc. THIS WAY THEY CAN'T GIVE YOUR ANY GRIEF FOR ELECTIONEERING IN THE POLLING PLACE. When you are back at your car, put this stuff back on and stand outside the electioneering line and wave your Obama sign at incoming voters.

8) ON THE FIRST DAY OF EV or as early as possible, take your ID AND YOUR ABV WITH YOU TO the nearest EV voting place and tell them you wish to EV instead of ABV. They will check your ID and then you will have to surrender your ABV and mark it SPOILED and then they will give you a paper ballot to vote in the early voting. DO NOT vote Touch Screen unless you have to do so for reason of blindness. These machines are not, in my opinion at least, trustworthy enough to be used for voting and they offer no real meaningful audit trail or any real means of independently hand counting the vote.

9) YOU WILL BE ASKED TO RUN YOUR BALLOT THROUGH THE TABULATOR. PAY ATTENTION TO ANY ERRORS IT REPORTS SUCH AS UNDERVOTING AND MAKE SURE THEY GAVE YOU THE RIGHT PRECINCT AND THAT THE RIGHT PRECINCT IS ENTERED INTO THE TABULATOR BEFORE PROCESSING YOUR PAPER BALLOT.

10) NEVER VOTE AN ABSENTEE CLOSER THAN 1 WEEK OUT FROM AN ELECTION. IF YOU'VE WAITED THAT LONG PLEASE GO VOTE EV OR ON ELECTION DAY. EV's MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE 7PM ON ELECTION DAY - POSTMARKED DOESN'T COUNT.

This is the best strategy for insuring your vote counts because it gives you the earliest possible warning, the most options, and the least chance of being rejected.

If you run into any difficulties with being refused a ballot, etc. don't hesitate to contact your local Democratic Executive Committee (the local party) or the Florida Democratic Party in Tallahasseee or the Obama campaign, they will be able to get a lawyer to volunteer to come in and do whatever they can to make sure your vote gets counted.

Don't wait until the last moment though because that puts an impossible burden on the lawyer's brigade.

Also please be sure to do what I've outlined above to make the situation easier for them and you!

Thanks,

Doug D.
A Florida Democratic Activist and Campaign Consultant (but NOT A LAWYER!)

[glowing]

1. Couple of things....

#3... NO, your I.D. does NOT have to match the voter reg.. Your registered where your card places you.. THE ONLY thing they can use the I.D. for is to compare picure and signature.. THAT IS ALL.

#7. In florida, you may where your choice.. if they tell you, no.. it is illegal. Perhaps, if you live in a red area.. maybe not..

[ddeclue]

2. OK but I'm trying to minimize their ability to hassle you.

And in Fl you are supposed to update your driver's license when you move anyways so just do it.

[glowing]

4. Yes, but during the Aug. primary, the idiot behind the desk was questioning

my id.. it has the old address on it.. I had to tell her and the guy next to her had to tell her.. you are only looking for the picture and the signature to verify the person in front of you.. I don't want anyone thinking they cannot vote because of this.. People in FL move a lot.. so, many I.D.'s are not up to date.. They CANNOT deny you a vote based on address on the I.D... Don't leave, call the 800 #'s they set up.. DO NOT let them deny you.

[ddeclue]

5. Not to quote a Republican but I think this is relevant:

"Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper and loss of self control. Yield larger things to which you can show no more than equal right; and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own. Better give your path to a dog than be bitten by him in contesting for the right. Even killing the dog would not cure the bite."

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was a master of strategy and understood (as Tsun Zsu said also) that it is better to avoid a battle while achieving your goal (in this case votng) than fight and win one.

BIG DISCLAIMER TO ALL WHO READ THIS: I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY AND THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL TAKE ON THIS..CONSULT A LICENSED FLORIDA ATTORNEY...

You are required to update your driver's license any time you move within 10 days so just DO that and don't give the idiot at the desk the opening to harass you in the first place.

Admittedly there are situations where people move within a 30 day window near the election that might prevent you from receiving your license in time by mail so in that instance I would call the lawyer as you say and make and keep a notarized copy of the change of address request you submitted to the DMV and send it by certified mail so that you have some sort of proof of what is going on to offer the SOE's office.

(As I understand it though you can go down to the DMV in person and they will do the license change for you while you wait...)

From their website I offer the following:

http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/change-address.php

Changing Your Address on a Driver's License

In Florida, by law you must notify the Driver License Division of a change of address within 10 days of moving. You can change the address on your non-commercial license by mail, phone, or online, or by visiting your local office. If you're a commercial license holder, you will need to apply for a change of address in person at your local office.

For all license updates, bring acceptable identification documents to show proof of citizenship or legal presence.

By Mail

Download an Driver License or Identification
Card Address Change Form, fill it out, and mail it to:

* Bureau of Records

* P.O. Box 5775

* Tallahassee, FL 32314-5775

Include a check or money order for $10, payable to Division of Driver Licenses. Allow 30 days for processing.

By Touch-tone Phone

Call 1-866-GO-RENEW (467-3639) and follow the verbal instructions. The fee is $10 plus a $2.90 convenience fee, payable by major credit card. Allow two weeks or more for processing.

[glowing]

6. You are correct.. and most people don't do it until they've been pulled over

and fined for it.. or its time to renu.. mine's up for renewal which costs more money than.. so I have to pay for the update, and then pay for the renewal in short time.. I know its not right.. I will be bringing along a couple of bills to make sure they don't try and pull something... Also, they cannot fine you.. OUR local news station did a good job of saying.. if you owe child support or have parking fines or whatever.. they cannot arrest you or do anything to you when you just go to simply vote..

Yes, I know I'm drawing it out a little.. but it's not too much longer till I have to do it anyway.

[kestrel91316]

3. I think it's a good idea for EVERYONE in EVERY state to make a habit of

"updating" their voter registration (aka reregistering) EVERY YEAR. Just to be on the safe side.

When I moved last year, my voter registration was supposed to be updated through "motor voter" at DMV, but I didn't trust it. I mailed in a paper registration form just to be safe.