5 to 6-minute read
New myths and half-truths seem to pop up every election cycle. Some of them stem from the fact that each state has different election rules and people don’t realize what may be true in one state is not true in another.
For the past several years Orlando-based digital journalist Christie Zizo has compiled a list of common myths about Florida elections and worked to debunk them.
This year’s list covers nearly 40 myths, half-truths, and pieces of misinformation that commonly circulate about voting in Florida. With her permission and as part of the News Collaborative of Central Florida, LkldNow is publishing the work in a series, beginning with myths about who can vote.
Zizo worked with Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays to check the work.
Can you vote?
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| If you don’t vote in every election, you will lose the right to vote. | You do not have to vote in every election. County elections officials might mark your registration as inactive if you fail to vote in two federal elections and then don’t contact the elections office to confirm your address. But even then, an inactive voter just has to make that contact and they will be allowed to vote. They can even do it at the polls on Election Day. If you are marked as an inactive voter and then don’t vote in the next four years (two general elections), then your registration is canceled. But even then, you just have to reregister. |
| If you don’t speak English, you can’t vote. | In Florida, counties are required to publish ballots in English and Spanish. Ballots may be available in other languages, depending on U.S. census data. If you need language assistance, you can contact your county supervisor of elections office for help. You can also bring someone to the polling place to help you with your ballot. |
| Foreigners with legal U.S. residence can vote in elections. | Only U.S. citizens, either by birth or naturalization, may vote in elections in Florida. |
| Puerto Ricans cannot vote because they are not U.S. citizens. | Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. If someone from Puerto Rico moves to Florida, they will be able to register for and vote in Florida elections without needing to do anything extra. This is true for other U.S. territories as well. |
| If you are homeless, you can’t vote. | If you have an effective mailing address where you can receive messages, and plan to stay in that area, you can be assigned a voting precinct. Check with your county supervisor of elections for help. |
| Convicted felons cannot vote. | Nonviolent convicted felons can have their voting rights in Florida automatically restored if they completed their sentences, which includes all prison or parole time and any and all court fees ormonetary payments. Other felons must have their voting rights restored by the state clemency board. However, this information has proved difficult for convicted felons to pin down and has led to arrests. There is also a lot of confusion and delays in the state confirming whether a former felon can register. Ifyou are a returning citizen who wishes to vote, be sure to talk to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. They can help you make sure you are eligible to register to vote or to vote. |
| If you’re a student, you need to make your college address your permanent address to vote in Florida. | If you’re away at school, you only need to change your permanent address if that is where you wish to vote. If you want to leave your home as your permanent address, you can do that. But you must either travel to your home precinct or request a vote-by-mail ballot in order to vote, and you will vote in whatever elections are set for that address. |
| Students who vote in an election could see their college financial aid affected. | Voting will not affect any federal financial aid. You should check with your scholarship administrator, though, to see if changing your voter registration will affect the status of a scholarship that is location-based. |
| If you owe back child support or have outstanding warrants, you can be arrested if you try to vote. | Voter rolls have no information about such matters and law enforcement officers are notsupposed to enter a polling place unless summoned by poll workers. |
| If you own homes in more than one state, you can vote in each state. | “No one is legally allowed to vote in more than one state, period,” said Lake County Elections Supervisor Alan Hays. It makes no difference if they own homes in several states, they are allowed to vote only in the state of their legal residence.” In fact, people found to have voted in more than one state have been prosecuted, like this resident ofThe Villages, who was found to have voted in Connecticut and Florida in 2020. |
| You must have a Florida driver’s license in order to vote. | You need a form of identification in order to vote with a picture and a signature. It does not need to be a Florida driver’s license. The following forms of picture identification are allowed if they are current and valid: Florida driver’s license Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles United States passport Military identification Student identification Retirement center identification Neighborhood association identification Public assistance identification |
| You must have your voter identification card with you in order to vote. | When you register to vote in Florida, you will get a voter information card. It is not a voter identification card, and it is not required at the polling place. It can’t even be used as a form of identification in order to vote. The only purpose is to verify your information and let you know your polling place and district assignments. |
| If you move, your voter registration moves with you. | You need to update your voter registration if you move. If you move within the county or to a different county within the state, you need to change your address with the local supervisor of elections office. This is so that you have updated polling precinct information. It also changes who your representatives in government are. If you are moving from outside the state, you need to register to vote in Florida. Your registration doesn’t transfer when you leave the state. Go to Florida’s voter registration website to learn more. |
Be in the know 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.
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