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Applications must be received or postmarked 29 days before Election Day Drives must submit completed applications to the division or supervisor of the applicant’s residence so they are received within 10 days of receiving them from the applicant or by the registration deadline, whichever is first.
Preregistration Filings: Before engaging in voter registration activities, third-party voter registration organizations must submit form DS-DE119 electronically to the Division of Elections at 3PVRO@dos.myflorida.com or if email is not available, by fax at 850-245-6291. Updates to staff canvassers (but not volunteers) are required within 10 days of the change.
Organization ID: Third-party voter registration organizations may not begin collecting applications until the Division of Elections approves the application and assigns an ID number to the organization.
The organization ID, the date the application is collected from the applicant (MM/DD/YY), and the registration agent’s initials must also be on each application collected during the registration on the bottom front portion of each voter registration application in a manner that does not obscure any other entry.
Compensation Restrictions: Do not pay registration drive participants based on how many registrations they collect. It is a felony offense in Florida to solicit or pay another person to solicit voter registration for compensation that is based on the number of registrations obtained.
Canvasser Restrictions: To collect or handle voter registration applications a person must not have been convicted of certain felonies under Florida law. 3PVROs must affirm that their registration agents meet this requirement. State law sets fines of $50,000 per such agent collecting or handling applications who does not meet this requirement. Additional canvasser restrictions in Florida statute are currently not in effect due to a court order.
Canvasser Restrictions (con’t): “Collecting or handling” means physically exercising custody over filled-out voter registration applications but does not include passing out blank applications, supervising the collecting or handling of applications, assisting a voter who requests assistance to fill out their registration application, or facilitating the online registration through registertovoteflorida.gov. A 3PVRO may require each person collecting or handling voter registration applications on its behalf to sign written declarations affirming under penalty of perjury that the person has not been convicted of a listed felony. If the 3PVRO has a declaration signed by the person with the conviction prior to collecting or handling voter registration applications on behalf of the 3PVRO, the 3PVRO is not subject to this fine. Declaration forms are located here:
English: files.floridados.gov/media/706999/form-ds-de127-declarations-adopted-fillable.pdf
Spanish: files.floridados.gov/media/707864/ds-de-127- declarations-technical-change-spanish-rev.pdf
State Forms: The state mail-in voter registration application can be downloaded at the Florida DOS website: dos.fl.gov/elections/for-voters/voter-registration/registerto-vote-or-update-your-information/
State forms can also be requested in writing from the Divisions of Elections. The first 9,999 applications are provided at no cost, but a 1 cent charge is assessed for each application over 10,000.
Federal Forms: The federal mail-in registration application also may be used in voter registration drives: eac.gov/voters/national-mail-voter-registration-form
Photocopying Blank Forms: The state mail-in form may be photocopied and used in voter registration drives.
Providing Filled Out Forms: A 3PVRO may not mail or otherwise provide a voter registration application upon which any information about an applicant has been filled in before it is provided to the applicant. Per-application fines apply to violations.
Receipt Requirement: 3PVROs must provide a receipt to an applicant upon accepting the application from them. The format must include the applicant’s name, the date the application is received, the name of the 3PVRO, the name of the registration agent, the applicant’s political party affiliation, and the county in which the applicant resides. Receipt forms are available on the state 3PVRO website:
English: files.floridados.gov/media/707000/form-ds-de129-3pvro-voter-receipt-adopted.pdf
Spanish: files.floridados.gov/media/707865/ds-de-129- receipt-technical-change-spanish-202309-rev.pdf
Incomplete Applications: Do not alter the information on a registration form without the knowledge and consent of the applicant; doing so is a violation of Florida law.
Photocopying Completed Applications: As a best practice, do not retain a voter’s full or partial Social Security Number and/or driver’s license number, or signature. 3PVROs may retain copies of receipts provided. Retention restrictions in Florida statute are currently not in effect due to a court order.
Submitting Applications: Organizations must submit completed applications to the division or supervisor of the applicant’s residence so they are received within 10 days of receiving them from the applicant or by the registration deadline, whichever is first. Per-day per-application fines apply for late applications.
Prior to submitting the collected application(s), a 3PVRO must record its assigned 3PVRO ID #, the date the applicant completed the application, and must initial the application. The recording must be on the bottom front portion of the voter registration application in a manner that does not obscure any other entry.
Cover letters: When submitting applications, the 3PVRO must provide a cover letter indicating any applications that they believe were fraudulently completed or collected.
Voter registration drive rules in Florida are currently the subject of ongoing litigation. Please check back for any changes. This document is not intended to provide legal advice.
Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Florida legal professional. Last updated April 2024
For more information, visit
www.fairelectionscenter.org
