POLK COUNTY, FL — Early voting began Monday morning in Polk County and will be available every day from Oct. 24 through Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This is one of three options available to Polk County's 462,285 registered voters including 148,622 registered Democrats, 174,894 registered Republicans and 8,564 registered with another party and 130,205 with no party affiliation.
Polk County voters can choose from any of the early voting locations to vote:
This is different from election day when voters must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct.
Each early voting location will also have a Secure Ballot Intake Station for voters who want to drop off their vote-by-mail ballot in person.
Voters should bring a Florida driver's license or other acceptable photo and signature ID for voter check-in.
If they forget their ID, they can vote a provisional ballot and their eligibility will be verified before the ballot is tabulated.
Before heading out to vote, voters are encouraged to visit to find the full list of acceptable IDs, a list of early voting locations, and to see whether there is any wait time at the various locations.
Registered voters are encouraged to click here to confirm that their information is up to date and to take a look at their sample ballot, so they know what races they will be voting on.
Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards has sent out general election ballots to absent military and overseas voters and domestic voters who requested them.
Florida voters have until Oct. 29 to request that a ballot be mailed to them. Click here to request a ballot.
Voters will need to provide their Florida driver's license, Florida ID or the last four digits of their Social Security number when making the request.
Election day is Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters who wait until election day must vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct. Click here to find election day precincts.
To avoid delays at the polling place, voters should bring one or two forms of current identification that include their signature and photo. Without proper identification, residents may still vote a provisional ballot, which will later be evaluated by a canvassing board for eligibility.
Any of the following forms of photo identification are acceptable:
If your photo ID does not include your signature, you will be asked to provide another ID that has your signature.
To keep voting lines moving, Edwards advises voters to fill out a sample ballot in advance.
Residents can download a sample ballot here.
If you received a vote-by-mail ballot but have decided to vote in person instead, your vote-by-mail ballot will be canceled.
When you arrive at the polls:
If you are satisfied with your selections:
United States Senator
Representative in Congress District 9
Representative in Congress District 11
Representative in Congress District 15
Representative in Congress District 18
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Chief Financial Officer
Commissioner of Agriculture
State Senator District 12
State Senator District 27
County Commissioner District 4
Justices of the Supreme Court
Shall Justice Charles T. Canady of the Supreme Court be retained in office?
Shall Justice John D. Couriel of the Supreme Court be retained in office?
Shall Justice Jamie Grosshans of the Supreme Court be retained in office?
Shall Justice Jorge Labarga of the Supreme Court be retained in office?
Shall Justice Ricky Polston of the Supreme Court be retained in office?
Second District Court of Appeal
Shall Judge Patricia Joan Kelly of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Shall Judge Nelly N. Khouzam of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Shall Judge Suzanne Y. Labrit of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Shall Judge Matt Lucas of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Shall Judge Robert Morris of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Shall Judge Stevan Travis Northcutt of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained inoffice?
Shall Judge John K. Stargel of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Shall Judge Craig C. Villanti of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
County Court Judge Group 8
School Board District 7
Bridgewater Community Development District Seat 4
Bridgewater Community Development District Seat 5
Golden Lakes Community Development District Seat 1
Golden Lakes Community Development District Seat 2
Highland Meadows II Community Development District Seat 2
Lake Ashton II Community Development District Seat 1
Constitutional Amendments
No. 1 Constitutional Amendment Article VII, Section 4; Article XII, Section 42
Limitation on the Assessment of Real Property Used for Residential Purposes Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution, effective January 1, 2023, to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to prohibit the consideration of any change or improvement made to real property used for residential purposes to improve the property's resistance to flood damage in determining the assessed value of such property for ad valorem taxation purposes.
No. 2 Constitutional Amendment Article II, Section 5; Article XI, Sections 2 and 5
Abolishing the Constitution Revision CommissionProposing an amendment to the State Constitution to abolish the Constitution Revision Commission, which meets at 20-year intervals and is scheduled to next convene in 2037, as a method of submitting proposed amendments or revisions to the State Constitution to electors of the state for approval. This amendment does not affect the ability to revise or amend the State Constitution through citizen initiative, constitutional convention, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, or legislative joint resolution.
No. 3 Constitutional Amendment, Article VII, Section 6; Article XII
Additional Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Specified Critical Public Services Workforce Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to authorize the Legislature, by general law, to grant an additional homestead tax exemption for nonschool levies of up to $50,000 of the assessed value of homestead property owned by classroom teachers, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, child welfare services professionals, active duty members of the United States Armed Forces, and Florida National Guard members. This amendment shall take effect January 1, 2023
No. 1 Referendum, Article VII, Section 12 and Article VIII, Section 1
Acquisition and Managment of Water Resources and Environmental Lands Bond Referendum
Polk County voters will decide whether to restart a tax dedicated to purchasing and preserving land for conservation next year. The property tax initially ran from 1995 until 2015, and provided Polk County with over $80 million it used for preserving properties such as the Circle B Bar Preserve and the Lakeland Highlands Scrub.
No. 1 Charter Amendment, Section 8.4
Expense Reduction-Charter Review
Charter Amendment to reduce expenses to Polk County by increasing the time between Charter Review Commissions from every 8 years to every 12 years.
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