The Florida Senate

101.5608  Voting by electronic or electromechanical method; procedures.--

(1)  Each elector desiring to vote shall be identified to the clerk or inspector of the election as a duly qualified elector of such election and shall sign his or her name in ink or indelible pencil to an identification blank, signature slip, precinct register, or ballot stub on which the ballot serial number may be recorded. The inspector shall compare the signature with the signature on the identification provided by the elector. If the inspector is reasonably sure that the person is entitled to vote, the inspector shall provide the person with a ballot.

(2)  When an electronic or electromechanical voting system utilizes a ballot card or paper ballot, the following procedures shall be followed:

(a)  After receiving a ballot from an inspector, the elector shall, without leaving the polling place, retire to a booth or compartment and mark the ballot. After preparing his or her ballot, the elector shall place the ballot in a secrecy envelope with the stub exposed or shall fold over that portion on which write-in votes may be cast, as instructed, so that the ballot will be deposited in the ballot box without exposing the voter's choices. Before the ballot is deposited in the ballot box, the inspector shall detach the exposed stub and place it in a separate envelope for audit purposes; when a fold-over ballot is used, the entire ballot shall be placed in the ballot box.

(b)  Any voter who spoils his or her ballot or makes an error may return the ballot to the election official and secure another ballot, except that in no case shall a voter be furnished more than three ballots. If the vote tabulation device has rejected a ballot, the ballot shall be considered spoiled and a new ballot shall be provided to the voter unless the voter chooses to cast the rejected ballot. The election official, without examining the original ballot, shall state the possible reasons for the rejection and shall provide instruction to the voter pursuant to s. 101.5611 A spoiled ballot shall be preserved, without examination, in an envelope provided for that purpose. The stub shall be removed from the ballot and placed in an envelope.

(c)  The supervisor of elections shall prepare for each polling place at least one ballot box to contain the ballots of a particular precinct, and each ballot box shall be plainly marked with the name of the precinct for which it is intended.

(3)  The Department of State shall promulgate rules regarding voting procedures to be used when an electronic or electromechanical voting system is of a type which does not utilize a ballot card or paper ballot.

(4)  In any election in which a write-in candidate has qualified for office, the supervisor of elections shall provide for write-in voting pursuant to rules adopted by the Division of Elections.

History.--s. 8, ch. 73-156; s. 21, ch. 77-175; s. 13, ch. 81-105; s. 5, ch. 82-143; s. 12, ch. 84-302; s. 579, ch. 95-147; s. 20, ch. 2001-40; s. 11, ch. 2002-17.