DORAL – While a majority of voters in South Florida took advantage of early voting and vote-by-mail, many still prefer to wait until Election Day on Tuesday to cast their ballot.
“It’s the adrenaline,” Cole Dailey said. “It’s the excitement.”
Dailey passed on early voting. He loves the energy of participating on Election Day.
“Letting other people see what you stand for,” Dailey said. “I feel that needs to be seen. That needs to be heard.”
“What matters to me, the border, the economy,” Richard Reis said.
He told CBS News Miami he also will vote Tuesday, supporting candidates he believes will focus on the issues that matter most to him.
“We have to spend our money thoughtfully,” Reis said.
In Florida, voters will choose more than just political offices. They’ll decide on six constitutional amendments as well as localaces. It can all be a lot to tackle.
“A little bit overwhelming, if you prepare for it and you’re ready to go and know exactly what you’re going to do before you get into the polls, that’s the best bet,” another woman outside the Aventura mall named Aly said.
CBS News Miami is here to walk you through what you need to do before you get to your polling site to vote. Let’s start with a form of identification to bring to the polls. Florida law requires all voters to present a picture ID with a signature.
There are 12 acceptable forms of ID, including Florida driver’s license, United States passport, military Identification and student identification card.
If you’re wondering if you are eligible to vote? If so, where do you go on Election Day.
Miami-Dade County residents can go to Miami Dade elections website. Click on Elections and then Voter Information. Enter your name and birthdate. And then you’ll get information on where to vote.
If you’re in Broward, head to Broward elections website. Click on Election Day Precincts and then type in your address.
Election Day isn’t like the early voting period. You must go to your assigned voting location.
If you have a problem at the polling site or find out you’re not registered to vote, CBS Miami’s elections expert Jim DeFede has a very important message.
“Even if they tell you you’re not eligible to vote or they don’t have you on the voting list, you can ask for, you can demand to cast a provisional ballot,” DeFede said “A provisional ballot will allow you to vote on all of the issues. And then after the election, they will sort through whether or not your vote gets counted, but they can’t do that unless you actually cast a provisional ballot.”
Miami-Dade and Broward Counties have election helplines.
If you have not submitted a Vote-by-Mail ballot, they must be at your county’s election headquarters or your precinct by 7 p.m. Election Day. That means it’s too late to mail it.
Around 8.2 million ballots have been cast in Florida, according to the state elections website Monday, which is a 59.1% turnout.
