How to Vote in Florida: 2028 Deadlines, Early Voting & Poll Hours

To vote in the November 7, 2028 general election, register by 29 days before Election Day.

Dates marked ≈ are computed from state statute and can shift with county practice. Confirm your exact deadline and check your registration status at Florida's official site.

Early voting opens ≈ October 24, 2026 — 10 days before Election Day. It runs through 3 days before Election Day.

For elections with state and federal races — which 2026 is — supervisors of elections may open 11 to 15 days out (as early as Oct 19) and may end two days before. Check your county.

Confirm exact locations and hours — which vary by county — at Florida's official election site.

Any registered voter in Florida may request a mail ballot — no excuse required. Request deadline: 12 days before Election Day at 5 p.m..

Return rule: Must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day

Track your ballot: use Florida's ballot tracker to see when your ballot was mailed, received and accepted. Florida’s page links each county supervisor of elections’ ballot lookup.

Details and request forms are at Florida's official election site.

A photo ID is requested, but a voter without one can still cast a ballot that counts without a later trip back — for example by signing an affidavit or having a provisional ballot verified some other way.

Provisional ballots are resolved by signature matching; no follow-up action is required of the voter.

See the full list of accepted ID at Florida's official election site.

Polls are open until 7 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT on November 7, 2028 — because Florida spans more than one time zone, the last polls in the state close at 8:00 p.m. ET. The panhandle votes on Central time, so Florida is not fully closed until 8 p.m. ET — the single most misread closing time in the country.

See how Florida's closing time compares nationwide on the full poll closing times by state page, or confirm your local hours at Florida's official election site.

Election-night totals are unofficial. The count becomes official in two steps:

• Local: County canvassing boards — by about November 16, 2026. Official returns due by noon on the 13th day after the election.
• Statewide: Elections Canvassing Commission (the governor and two Cabinet members) — November 17, 2026 on the 2026 calendar. Meets on the 14th day after the election.

Certifying is a required step, not a second vote on the result. What happens if a local board won’t sign off, every state’s deadlines and how a result can be challenged are on how election results are certified.