T minus 5 hours til my polls close - where do I go??

November 6, 2012 10:51 AM

Election day panic! My driver's license address points me to one precinct in Broward County, FL. The address where I am actually registered to vote is at another precinct in the same county. Where do I go? If I go to where I'm registered and my license is at an address in a different city, will they turn me away? On hold with my county's Supervisor of Elections for 15:06 at this point.
posted by tatiana wishbone to law & government (8 answers total)

Go to the precinct corresponding to the address where you are registered to vote. For voting purposes, your license only serves to prove that you're you, not where you live. If you go to the other precinct, you will be turned away.

Source: Florida Division of Elections: The address on the driver license does not need to match the address in the voter registration record. If you have moved and haven’t changed your driver license to reflect your new address, that’s okay.
posted by zsazsa at 10:53 AM on November 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

Did you try the Voter Hotline: [phone]-VOTE
posted by anya32 at 10:53 AM on November 6, 2012

Go to the precinct where you are registered. The ID is just ID.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 10:55 AM on November 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yup. You're registered where you are registered. Me? I'll be using a CA licence at my polling place here in MO. As far as the poll workers are concerned, your ID is just a picture proving you are you.
posted by piedmont at 10:55 AM on November 6, 2012

Broward County Board of Elections is incredibly useless. Whomever you talk to will probably give you terrible information.


Go to the address where you are registered, they'll have your name on the rolls. Your photo ID wil prove who you are.

If you have a passport, use that for ID instead of your driver's license.

I have such a story about Abesentee Ballots and a hideous gauntlet I ran between my local polling place, the board of elections in Deerfield (which inexplicable closed at 3:00 PM on election day) and the hissy fit I threw back at my polling place.

Florida needs UN Poll Watchers.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:56 AM on November 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

IAAL in Florida, IANYL. As it happens, I do elections work and am rather busy today with such things.

You've already received the correct answer: the address on the ID does not matter. So long as you are on the voter rolls for the precinct, you will be able to vote. And, no one is ever "turned away". No matter what the issue is with a particular elector, every elector gets to vote on a provisional ballot.
posted by Tanizaki at 11:06 AM on November 6, 2012

Thanks y'all, you're the bestest! JILL STEIN 2012 (sorta kidding, mostly not)
posted by tatiana wishbone at 11:07 AM on November 6, 2012

Does Florida require the driver's license, and nothing but a driver's license, to be used as your ID? Most states will also accept things like a passport, student ID, etc.

(But just to be safe, carry 'em all with you when you go.)
posted by easily confused at 11:41 AM on November 6, 2012