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Florida’s deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 9

The state has more than 13 million registered voters and counting.
 
Published Oct. 1, 2018|Updated Oct. 1, 2018

In the year of #NeverAgain, the 2018 election in Florida is a test of whether young people will turn out to vote in higher numbers than in recent midterm elections.

But you can't vote unless you're registered to vote.

Florida residents have until Oct. 9 to register to vote to be able to cast a ballot in the upcoming election. Anyone who's registered, regardless of party affiliation, can vote in November.

If you wait until Oct. 10 to register to vote, it's too late.

To register to vote, you must be 18, a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen. You can  register to vote online and check the status of your registration, too.

Florida has a long history of very close statewide elections, including the cliffhanger presidential election in 2000 in which George W. Bush won by defeating Al Gore by 537 votes in Florida.

In the 2016 election for president, more than nine million Floridians cast ballots. Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 112,911 votes.

In the 2014 election for governor, nearly six million people voted. Rick Scott beat Charlie Crist by 64,145 votes.

Third-party groups have been registering new voters across the state for months. Organizations all across the political spectrum are using social media to highlight the importance of signing up to vote.

Florida had more than 13 million registered voters as of Aug. 31. Of that total, 4.9 million voters (or 37.2 percent) were Democrats, and 4.6 million (35.3 percent) were Republicans. The remaining 3.6 million (27.4 percent) are registered to vote with no party affiliation or with a minor party.