Don’t wait until Election Day to find out
By Daniella Pierre
(Source: Miami Times)
Picture this. You have taken time off work. You arranged childcare, or you rushed over after church. You have followed the election, tracked campaign announcements, donated, researched the candidates and know exactly how you plan to vote. You wait in line. Then you reach the check-in table and hear words no voter ever wants to hear:
“Your eligibility to vote is in question.”
Suddenly, casting your ballot is no longer as simple as showing up and providing an acceptable identification.
Most people assume this only happens to someone else. Right now, it could be happening to you. Presently, some Miami-Dade voters may be on a list of individuals whose eligibility to vote is being reviewed under Florida law. If those voters fail to respond by June 15, the Supervisor of Elections may determine they are ineligible and remove their names from the Florida Voter Registration System.
That should concern all of us.
And just so you know, voter list maintenance occurs year-round. Election officials routinely compare voter registration records with data from government agencies and other official sources. A voter may be flagged because mail was returned as undeliverable, records do not match, an address has changed or information from another agency raises a question about eligibility. When that happens, voters are supposed to be notified and given an opportunity to respond.
Here is the challenge with that. Remember when the public notices were published in the newspaper back in the day. Well, as of 2023, Florida no longer requires many legal notices to be published in newspapers. Today, many are published online. If your mailing address is outdated or you are not watching for official notices, important information affecting your voter registration can easily be missed.
This matters because Miami-Dade already struggles with voter participation. During the 2024 Primary Election, Miami-Dade County had 1,473,383 registered voters. However, only 288,308 ballots were cast. Voter turnout was 19.57 percent. That means for the 2024 Primary Election, just about 80 percent of eligible voters did not show up to vote. With so much at stake, right here, right now, we can’t afford to have that type of voter turnout ever again.
In a community where turnout is already this low, this means we should be just as concerned about keeping eligible voters on the rolls as we are about adding new ones.
The good news is that protecting your registration is not difficult. Take these steps now.
Check your voter registration status. Update your registration whenever you move or change your mailing address. And, if you recently renewed or replaced your Florida driver’s license or state ID to be Real ID Compliant, confirm that your voter record reflects any new identification number. And please, help a family member, neighbor, church member or college student verify their status as well.
Being election-ready means knowing who is on the ballot, your voter registration status, key election dates, responding to notices, keeping your information current and helping the people around you do the same.
Before you ask who you are voting for, ask yourself one question first: Could my name voter eligibility be in question and already be on that list? Take a few minutes to make sure the answer is no or respond accordingly. Check your voter registration status today at https://registration.dos.fl.gov/en/CheckVoterStatus/Index.
Daniella Pierre is a community advocate and president of the Miami-Dade County Branch of the NAACP, where she has served as an active member since 2011.