Election 2024: What voters can and cannot do at the polls

ORLANDO, Fla. - More than 50% of voters in several Central Florida counties have already cast their ballots for the 2024 presidential and general election.

Early voting ended Nov. 2 for many counties, though a few accept early voting through Nov. 3. If you have not voted yet, you will be able to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Before you head to the polls, check out our 2024 Florida voter guide. There you can find your specific polling location. Here are few dos and don'ts when it comes to voting at the polls.

What do I need to bring with me to vote?

You need to bring a valid ID that has both a photo of you on it and your signature, such as a driver's license, U.S. passport, military ID, etc. Note: Your voter identification card is not an acceptable form of ID.

Acceptable forms of ID include:

Florida driver's license
Florida identification card
U.S. Passport
Debit or Credit card (remember, you need photo and signature)
Military ID
Student ID
Retirement center ID
Neighborhood association ID
Public assistance ID
Florida concealed weapon or firearm license
Veteran health ID card
Government employee ID card

What if I forgot my ID?

You'll be allowed to vote a provisional ballot, which will take longer to be counted. You will have to verify your voter eligibility with ID and signature by 5 p.m. the next day for your ballot to be counted.

Can I take a photo with my ballot?

Yes, but you might be better off taking a selfie with your "I voted" sticker outside the polling center.

Here is the Florida law: "No photography is permitted in the polling room or early voting area, except an elector may photograph his or her own ballot." This includes security cameras inside a polling room (they have to be covered up).

However, can you post that photo online? Doesn't appear so.

Here's the law: "Any elector who, except as provided by law, allows his or her ballot to be seen by any person; takes or removes, or attempts to take or remove, any ballot from the polling place before the close of the polls…or prints or procures to be printed, or has in his or her possession, any copies of any ballot prepared to be voted is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree."

Can I wear political hats, pins, shirts to vote?

Yes. Voters are allowed to wear campaign buttons, shirts, and hats into the polling booth, according to the "Polling Place Procedures Manual" for the 2024 general election.

Voters are also allowed to bring pre-marked sample ballots, notes, and campaign materials with them while they vote. However, you cannot actively campaign inside a polling location.

Official poll watchers, however, are not allowed to wear campaign buttons, shirts, hats, or other campaign items inside a polling location.

Remember, campaigning of any kind is not allowed within a polling site, within 150 feet of a polling site entrance, or within 150 of a vote-by-mail secure intake station.

"Exit polling by media or others is the only exception to the designated no-solicitation zone. Exit pollsters may approach voters only after voters leave the polling place. Otherwise, no person or group may solicit voters."

If I make a mistake on my ballot, can I get another one?

Yes, as long as it has not already been put through the tabulator. Florida voters are allowed up to three attempts to vote.

If you make a mistake, let a poll worker know. You will then need to "physically alter the ballot by notching, cutting, or tearing through the timing marks on the spoiled ballot." A poll worker is allowed to help with this if needed.

Can I still vote if I am in line when the polls close?

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Election Day, Nov. 5. As long as you are in line to vote prior to 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to cast your ballot.

"All eligible voters standing in line at the polling place by the early voting closing hour or 7 p.m. on Election Day shall be allowed to vote. A procedure should be in place to clearly mark the end of the line such as having the deputy stand behind the last person in line to establish a cut-off point," reads the "Polling Place Procedures Manual."

When are the election results released? When will we know who won?

Polls close in Florida at 7 p.m. local time (most counties are in the Eastern Time Zone, though a few in the Panhandle fall under the Central Time Zone).

Within 30 minutes of polls closing, preliminary results should start to be released, according to the Florida Division of Elections, and updates will be provided every 45 minutes.