Ballot Myths, Debunked

See Part 1: Who can vote?

Florida Election Myths, Debunked: Who Can Vote?

From voter eligibility to election rules, we separate fact from fiction in the first installment of a series examining common misconceptions about Florida elections.

by Christie Zizo, News 6 Digital Editor | News Collaborative of Central Florida October 12, 2026October 12, 2026

Myth	Truth
You can call, text or email in your vote.	You cannot do any of these things. You can only vote in person or send your vote via regular mail.
The position of the candidates on the ballot shows favoritism to one political party over another.	In Florida, the order of candidates on the ballot is determined by whichever political party won the last gubernatorial election. Since Gov. DeSantis is a Republican, Republican candidates will be the first names in each race on the ballot, followed by Democrats, then minor party candidates, then no party aﬃliation candidates, then a spot for write-in candidates, if any.
If you are a member of a political party, you can only vote for candidates from that party.	The only time your political party matters in an election is during a party primary. In nonpartisan and general elections, you can vote for whoever you want, regardless of party.
You have to vote for candidates of the same political party in each race on your ballot.	This concept is called straight-ticket voting. You can absolutely do that if you want, and many people do. But if you ever thought you had to vote for only Republicans or only Democrats, you don’t. You can do split-ticket voting, where you vote for people from different political parties. Split ticket voting was far more prevalent in the 20th century, according to a report by the Brookings Institute. For instance, in 1972, voters in 44% of Congressional districts split their vote between the presidential and U.S. House candidates.
If you make a mistake on your ballot, you can’t change it.	As long as you have not turned in your ballot, if you make a mistake, you can exchange it for a new one. This includes mail-in ballots. You are allowed up to three ballots total, though, so try not to mess up on ballot number 3.
If you leave a race blank on your ballot, your whole ballot won’t count.	You do not have to vote on every race on the ballot. If you vote on only one race, that vote will count.
You can write in any name on your ballot and your vote will count toward that person.	Every year, there are lots of votes for Mickey Mouse. None of those votes count toward anything. In Florida, only write-in candidates who are registered as such with the state will have any write- in votes for their name count. In the Polk County Commission race for District 4, there is a write-in candidate.
Early votes and vote-by-mail ballots only count in close races.	In Florida, early votes and vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots are among the first to be counted and are just as important as Election Day votes. “ALL votes are counted, and the early votes and VBM votes are added to the Election Day totals to determine the outcome of each contest,” Hays said.
Provisional ballots only count in close races.	Provisional ballots are merely ballots that require extra scrutiny from the county canvassing board, but if they are approved, they are counted as regular ballots toward the vote total. Anyone who is challenged should request a provisional ballot, fill it out and turn it in. They have two days after the election to get the additional documents to the elections oﬃce, so your vote can be counted.
Hackers can change votes/tech moguls used internet satellites to change votes.	Florida’s voting system is highly decentralized and localized. Florida election oﬃcials say the system is designed to make it impossible for hackers to change votes. The voting machines in each precinct are not even hooked up to the internet, and results are only specially transmitted via secure connection when ready.

Myth

Truth

You can call, text or email in your vote.

You cannot do any of these things. You can only vote in person or send your vote via regular mail.

The position of the candidates on the ballot shows favoritism to one political party
over another.

In Florida, the order of candidates on the ballot is determined by whichever political party won the last gubernatorial election. Since Gov. DeSantis is a Republican, Republican candidates will be the first names in each race on the ballot, followed by Democrats, then minor party candidates, then no party aﬃliation candidates, then a spot for write-in candidates, if any.

If you are a member of a political party, you can only vote for candidates from that
party.

The only time your political party matters in an election is during a party primary. In nonpartisan and general elections, you can vote for whoever you want, regardless of party.

You have to vote for candidates of the same political party in each race on your
ballot.

This concept is called straight-ticket voting. You can absolutely do that if you want, and many people do. But if you ever thought you had to vote for only Republicans or only Democrats, you don’t. You can do split-ticket voting, where you vote for people from different political parties.
Split ticket voting was far more prevalent in the 20th century, according to a report by the Brookings Institute. For instance, in 1972, voters in 44% of Congressional districts split their vote between the presidential and U.S. House candidates.

If you make a mistake on your ballot, you can’t change it.

As long as you have not turned in your ballot, if you make a mistake, you can exchange it for a new one. This includes mail-in ballots. You are allowed up to three ballots total, though, so try not to mess up on ballot number 3.

If you leave a race blank on your ballot, your whole ballot won’t count.

You do not have to vote on every race on the ballot. If you vote on only one race, that vote will count.

You can write in any name on your ballot and your vote will count toward that person.

Every year, there are lots of votes for Mickey Mouse. None of those votes count toward anything. In Florida, only write-in candidates who are registered as such with the state will have any write- in votes for their name count. In the Polk County Commission race for District 4, there is a write-in candidate.

Early votes and vote-by-mail ballots only count in close races.

In Florida, early votes and vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots are among the first to be counted and are just as important as Election Day votes. “ALL votes are counted, and the early votes and VBM votes are added to the Election Day totals to determine the outcome of each contest,” Hays said.

Provisional ballots only count in close races.

Provisional ballots are merely ballots that require extra scrutiny from the county canvassing board, but if they are approved, they are counted as regular ballots toward the vote total. Anyone who is challenged should request a provisional ballot, fill it out and turn it in. They have two days after the election to get the additional documents to the elections oﬃce, so your vote can be counted.

Hackers can change votes/tech moguls used internet satellites to change votes.

Florida’s voting system is highly decentralized and localized. Florida election oﬃcials say the system is designed to make it impossible for hackers to change votes. The voting machines in each precinct are not even hooked up to the internet, and results are only specially transmitted via secure connection when ready.

Get Ready to Vote with LkldNow’s 2026 Voter Guide

November 2026 Voter Guide

You deserve to be informed, but researching local elections can be a daunting task. This guide is designed to make it easy to research local offices and the candidates in each race before you cast your vote.

by LkldNow October 6, 2026October 15, 2026

Ballot Myths, Debunked

4-minute read

See Part 1: Who can vote?

Florida Election Myths, Debunked: Who Can Vote?

10 ballot myths, debunked

Get Ready to Vote with LkldNow’s 2026 Voter Guide

November 2026 Voter Guide

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