Florida Senate - 2013 SB 80
By Senator Joyner
19-00130-13 201380__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to elections; amending s. 101.657,
3 F.S.; expanding the list of available sites at which
4 early voting may be held to include specified
5 facilities or any other location designated by a
6 supervisor of elections as meeting the requirements of
7 state law; deleting a requirement that an early voting
8 site be designated and used as such for at least 1
9 year before an election; requiring that each county
10 operate a certain total number of voting sites;
11 revising the beginning and ending dates of early
12 voting; revising the hours of early voting to 12 hours
13 per weekday and 12 hours in the aggregate each weekend
14 at each site during the applicable periods; deleting
15 provisions that authorize the supervisor of elections
16 to provide early voting for certain elections and to
17 determine the hours of operation of early voting sites
18 in those elections; amending s. 101.045, F.S.;
19 permitting an elector to change his or her residence
20 at a polling place and vote a regular ballot at that
21 polling place; providing an effective date.
22
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (1) of
26 section 101.657, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
27 101.657 Early voting.—
28 (1)(a) As a convenience to the voter, the supervisor of
29 elections shall allow an elector to vote early in the main or
30 branch office of the supervisor and may allow such early voting
31 in any city hall, public library facility, courthouse, place of
32 worship, civic center, convention center, community center,
33 county government center, conference center, community college
34 facility, university or college, fairgrounds, or any other
35 location designated by the supervisor as meeting the
36 requirements of this section. The supervisor shall mark, code,
37 indicate on, or otherwise track the voter’s precinct for each
38 early voted ballot. In order for a branch office to be used for
39 early voting, it shall be a permanent facility of the supervisor
40 and shall have been designated and used as such for at least 1
41 year prior to the election. The supervisor may also designate
42 any city hall or permanent public library facility as Early
43 voting sites; however, if so designated, the sites must be
44 geographically located so as to provide all voters in the county
45 an equal opportunity to cast a ballot, insofar as is
46 practicable. Each county shall operate the same total number of
47 early voting sites that it used for the 2008 general election,
48 or one early voting site plus one additional early voting site
49 for every complete set of 65,000 registered voters in the county
50 as of July 1 of each general election year, whichever is
51 greater. The results or tabulation of votes cast during early
52 voting may not be made before the close of the polls on election
53 day. Results shall be reported by precinct.
54 (d) Early voting shall begin on the 15th 10th day before an
55 election that contains state or federal races and end on the 2nd
56 3rd day before the election. For purposes of a special election
57 held pursuant to s. 100.101, early voting shall begin on the 8th
58 day before the election and end on the 2nd day before the
59 election. Early voting, and shall be provided for 12 no less
60 than 6 hours per weekday and 12 hours in the aggregate each
61 weekend no more than 12 hours per day at each site during the
62 applicable periods. Early voting sites shall open no sooner than
63 7 a.m. and close no later than 7 p.m. on each applicable day.
64 period. The supervisor of elections may provide early voting for
65 elections that are not held in conjunction with a state or
66 federal election. However, the supervisor has the discretion to
67 determine the hours of operation of early voting sites in those
68 elections.
69 Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 101.045, Florida
70 Statutes, is amended to read:
71 101.045 Electors must be registered in precinct; provisions
72 for change of residence or name.—
73 (2)(a) An elector who moves from the precinct in which the
74 elector is registered may be permitted to change his or her
75 place of residence and vote by regular ballot in the precinct to
76 which he or she has moved his or her legal residence, if the
77 change of residence is within the same county and the elector
78 completes an affirmation in substantially the following form:
79
80 Change of Legal Residence of Registered
81 Voter
82
83 Under penalties for false swearing, I, ...(Name of voter)...,
84 swear (or affirm) that the former address of my legal residence
85 was ...(Address of legal residence)... in the municipality of
86 ...., in .... County, Florida, and I was registered to vote in
87 the .... precinct of .... County, Florida; that I have not voted
88 in the precinct of my former registration in this election; that
89 I now reside at ...(Address of legal residence)... in the
90 Municipality of ...., in .... County, Florida, and am therefore
91 eligible to vote in the .... precinct of .... County, Florida;
92 and I further swear (or affirm) that I am otherwise legally
93 registered and entitled to vote.
94
95 ...(Signature of voter whose address of legal residence has
96 changed)...
97
98 (b) Except for an active uniformed services voter or a
99 member of his or her family, an elector whose change of address
100 is from outside the county may not change his or her legal
101 residence at the polling place and vote a regular ballot;
102 however, such elector is entitled to vote a provisional ballot.
103 (b)(c) An elector whose name changes because of marriage or
104 other legal process may be permitted to vote, provided such
105 elector completes an affirmation in substantially the following
106 form:
107
108 Change of Name of Registered
109 Voter
110
111 Under penalties for false swearing, I, ...(New name of
112 voter)..., swear (or affirm) that my name has been changed
113 because of marriage or other legal process. My former name and
114 address of legal residence appear on the registration records of
115 precinct .... as follows:
116 Name............................................................
117 Address.........................................................
118 Municipality....................................................
119 County..........................................................
120 Florida, Zip....................................................
121 My present name and address of legal residence are as follows:
122 Name............................................................
123 Address.........................................................
124 Municipality....................................................
125 County..........................................................
126 Florida, Zip....................................................
127 and I further swear (or affirm) that I am otherwise legally
128 registered and entitled to vote.
129
130 ...(Signature of voter whose name has changed)...
131
132 (c)(d) Instead of the affirmation contained in paragraph
133 (a) or paragraph (b) (c), an elector may complete a voter
134 registration application that indicates the change of name or
135 change of address of legal residence.
136 (d)(e) Such affirmation or application, when completed and
137 presented at the precinct in which such elector is entitled to
138 vote, and upon verification of the elector’s registration, shall
139 entitle such elector to vote as provided in this subsection. If
140 the elector’s eligibility to vote cannot be determined, he or
141 she shall be entitled to vote a provisional ballot, subject to
142 the requirements and procedures in s. 101.048. Upon receipt of
143 an affirmation or application certifying a change in address of
144 legal residence or name, the supervisor shall as soon as
145 practicable make the necessary changes in the statewide voter
146 registration system to indicate the change in address of legal
147 residence or name of such elector.
148 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.