4-minute read
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. In the final part of this series, we look at the misinformation surrounding vote-by-mail and polling places.
The greatest myth of all, according to Zizo, is the idea that one vote is not going to make a difference.
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.
Zizo worked with Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays to check the work.
Vote-by-mail myths, debunked
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Vote-by-mail ballots and absentee ballots are not the same thing | In Florida, we have vote-by-mail ballots. We used to call them absentee ballots, but we changed the name years ago. Nothing about the ballots changed other than the name. |
| You have to have a reason to vote by mail. | This might be true in some states, but it is not the case in Florida. All you have to do is request a ballot from your county supervisor of elections office. You don’t need a specific reason to vote by mail. This is called “no-excuse” vote by mail. |
| You can only return your own vote-by-mail ballot. | In the state of Florida, you are legally allowed to drop off your ballot, your family members’ ballots, and the ballots of up to two non-family members. |
| If you do not have enough postage on your vote-by-mail return envelope, it will not be delivered. | Many Central Florida counties already offer a return postage-paid envelope for vote-by-mail ballots. However, if you are in a county where you must pay for postage to mail in a ballot, and you did not get sufficient postage, any postage due charges will be billed to your county’s elections office and your ballot will still be delivered. |
| Vote-by-mail ballots can be falsified and sent in to benefit a candidate. | In Florida, there are systems in place to prevent ballot stuffing with vote-by-mail ballots. County elections offices have ways to tell how many ballots are issued and how many ballots are returned, and what ballots there are. Once a ballot is accepted, that voter’s vote is counted. Only one vote gets counted in the system. So you can’t just order a bunch of vote-by-mail ballots from, say, China, and mail them in. |
Polling place myths, debunked
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Anyone can stop you from voting. | There are poll monitors who can challenge your vote. But they cannot make frivolous challenges, and in fact, can be fined for doing so. Moreover, even if your vote faces a challenge, you will be given a provisional ballot, which the county elections office will check against your records to make sure you are allowed to vote. |
| The polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day and if you are still in line, you won’t be allowed to vote. | As long as you are standing in line to vote at a polling place by 7 p.m. on Election Day, you will be allowed to vote. Polling places must allow everyone in line the chance to vote. It’s important to note that while people are allowed to be in line to vote after 7 p.m., no one is allowed to JOIN the line after 7 p.m. Election workers will be stationed at the end of the line to make sure of this. |
| No one can be at the voting booth with you, including children. | As long as you are the only person voting, you can take children into the voting booth. You can also have adults in the voting booth, but they must be there to assist you in voting because of a disability or an inability to read or write. You must let the person know ahead of time, and both you and the helper will be required to fill out affidavits affirming this. |
| You can’t take any materials with you to the voting booth. | County supervisor elections offices send out sample ballots so you can make your choices ahead of time. You can also take election guides or sample ballots into the voting booth. |
| You can’t take any pictures in the voting booth. | The Florida Legislature now allows voters to take pictures of their ballot – and only their ballot – in the voting booth. No ballot selfies. |
| If you wear campaign shirts or hats to the polling place, you’ll be turned away. | Go ahead and wear your campaign buttons and shirts and hats. As long as you are not actively campaigning, you are allowed to wear your campaign memorabilia to the polling place. |
| ICE/law enforcement can detain you at a polling place. | First, a reminder that only citizens are allowed to vote in an election in Florida. Having said that, it is a federal crime for federal troops or armed law enforcement to be deployed to polling places. It is also a federal crime for anyone, including federal agents, to intimidate voters. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also outlaws voter intimidation. There are no emergency powers that would allow the U.S. president to override those laws either — not even the Insurrection Act. The Brennan Center has a guide to Florida’s laws on voter intimidation and threats against election workers. |
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.
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