In order to vote in Florida you must be 18 years old. When it is time to vote you can either vote online, vote at the polls, or vote by the mail. To be able to vote, you have to meet the following criteria: Be a Citizen of the United States of America (a lawful permanent resident is not a U.S. citizen); Be a Florida resident; Be 18 years old (you may pre-register to vote if you are 16 years old, but you cannot vote until you are 18 years old). Can not be mentally handicapped in any manner Convicted of a felony without having your rights restored and on the day that a person votes, they must have a current Florida Driver's License or a Florida ID card. If one of these is missing then the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number can be used. In 1993, the National Voter Registration Act, "NVRA", was established by Congress. The Act offers registration by mail and by increasing the number of locations where eligible persons can apply to register or update their voter registration records. The Act assigns certain governmental offices/agencies to allow voters to do voting at the same locations they can receive other public services. In 1995, the Florida Voter Registration Act, "FVRA", was signed into law by Governor Lawton Chiles.

The next election days are January 2, 2012 to January 31, 2012, March 12, 2012 to April 10, 2012, July 16, 2012 to August 14, 2012, and the general election is from October 9, 2012 to November 6, 2012.

Voting in state and federal elections is one of the primary ways that a normal citizen can have a voice. A person gives up that right to voice complaints against our government if they have not made any effort to do their civic duty by voting. It is important that all of us take the time to really read over the issues that effect our state and make wise choices for the future.