Early voting for the Nov. 3 election closed on Sunday in Florida, and turnout is significantly higher than it was in the last midterms.
Dozens of important federal, state, county and city elections are on the ballot this year, plus three proposed constitutional amendments that the state legislature approved earlier this year.
Voters, especially Democrats, seem to understand that significance. With the close of early voting Sunday, at least 5.4 million Floridians have already cast ballots in person or by mail. That’s a 7% increase over the last midterms.
While combined voting from registered Republicans has held steady compared to 2022, Democrats are overperforming.
Even though Democrats are about 30% of Florida’s active registered voters this year, they cast nearly 38% of all early votes by mail and in person. That’s an overperformance of more than 400,000 extra Democratic votes compared to their share of statewide voters.
That backs up a Pew Research Center poll last month that showed Democrats as much more motivated to vote this year than Republicans.
And many analysts, including the Cook Political Report, project that Democrats will win back control of the U.S. House and, possibly, the Senate this year by riding on that enthusiasm. They point to surveys showing voters frustrated by the rising cost of living and the war with Iran.
Voting information
Polls are open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Floridians voting in person on Election Day must cast their ballot at their designated polling precinct, which can be found on the Florida Division of Elections website.
The state requires identification to vote, like a driver’s license or student ID.
Free rideshare groups like VoteRun offer transportation to and from polls on Election Day.
More information on candidates and races on this year’s ballot can be found in Central Florida’ Public Media’s General Election voter guide.
