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The deadline to register to vote in Alachua County is Oct. 5. Here is what you need to know:

Vote Alachua

Time is running out to register to vote.

National Voter Registration Day, a national effort to register voters, is Sept. 22. Voters must register in order to vote in the Nov. 3 general election when the presidential race between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is decided.

Oct. 5 is the last day to register to vote in Alachua County for the Nov. 3 election.

As of Sept. 18, about 186,000 people are registered to vote in Alachua County, according to Alachua County Supervisor of Elections data.

About 59,000 people are registered for a mail-in ballot in Alachua County to vote from home, more than double the amount since 2018, according to Alachua County Supervisor of Elections spokesperson TJ Pyche. In the November 2016 election, only about 29,000 people voted by mail.

In order to be eligible to register to vote in Alachua County, you must be at least 18 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a legal resident in Alachua County. Those who meet those requirements can register to vote through multiple avenues, all accessible through a website maintained by the Supervisor of Elections.

The first way to register is through the state’s online voter registration portal. Voters registered in any Florida county can use this portal. The website offers English and Spanish options and a way to check if you are already registered to vote.

UF also provides a way for students to register online through Turbovote.  Florida residents and out-of-state students can register to vote, update their registration and request a mail-in ballot through the website.

Alachua County residents can also print out a physical voter registration form in either English or Spanish. This form can either be mailed to or dropped off at the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office at 515 N Main St. in Gainesville. Voter registration forms sent through the mail must be postmarked by Oct. 5 in order to meet the deadline.

The Supervisor of Elections office is open from 8:30 a.m to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and until 7 p.m. on Oct. 5.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a sharp increase in mail-ballot requests in Alachua County.Registered voters can request a mail ballot from the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website. Residents of other counties can register for a mail ballot at their county’s Supervisor of Elections website.

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Registered voters can also request a mail ballot in person at the Supervisor of Elections office, or by mail by printing out the form on the website and mailing it to the Supervisor of Elections office. The form is also available in Spanish.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot in Alachua County is Oct. 24 at 5 p.m.

Graphic showing changes to eight voting precincts in Alachua County

Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, Alachua County will have 63 in-person voting precincts for the Nov. 3 election. The Supervisor of Elections website provides a page where residents can check where their voting precinct is based on the address used to register to vote. Voters must vote at their designated voting precinct, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

UF’s Reitz Union building will serve as an early voting location where Alachua County voters from any precinct can cast their ballots. Early voting at the Reitz Union building is from Oct. 19 through Oct. 31. On election day, only voters in precinct 31 can vote at the Reitz Union.

An on-campus polling location at UF was never a guarantee. The University of Georgia faced heavy backlash after UGA Votes, a student-led voting rights group, announced that the school would not have an on-campus early voting location for November’s election. The university has since reversed the decision.

Whether voting in-person or through the mail, Alachua County voters will see the same candidates on the ballot. Headlining the Nov. 3 election is the national presidential race between the Republican nominee Donald Trump and the Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Notable third-party candidates include the Libertarian Party’s Jo Jorgensen and Reform Party’s Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente.

Locally, Alachua County is voting for a new congressperson to represent Florida’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Voters will choose between Democratic nominee Adam Christensen and Republican nominee Kat Cammack. The winner replaces Republican Ted Yoho, who is retiring after representing the district for eight years.

Voters living in Florida House District 21, which encompasses most of Gainesville, are also electing a state representative this November. Candidates for the seat are Democratic nominee and former UF professor Kayser Enneking and Republican incumbent Chuck Clemons.

Two county commission seats are also on the ballot in November. Candidates for district one are Republican Raemi Eagle-Glenn and Democrat Mary Alford. Candidates for district three are Republican Joy Glanzer and Democrat Anna Prizzia.

November’s election also includes notable ballot measures to amend Florida’s constitution. Amendment two proposes a raise in the state’s minimum wage to $10 per hour by September 2021 and to $15 per hour by 2026. After 2026, the minimum wage would be adjusted annually for inflation.

Amendment three would open Florida’s primary elections to anyone regardless of registered political party. All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, would appear on the same primary ballot. The two highest vote-getters would face off in the general election.

Amendment four would require any amendment passed by ballot measure to be passed in two elections instead of one.

This article was updated to include information for out-of-state students to register to vote.

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Steven Walker

Steven Walker is the Fall 2021 Editor in Chief of The Alligator. He has previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel; and has bylines in the Miami Herald, Associated Press and Florida Times Union. In his free time, he likes to take long walks with his dog Luna and watch his favorite sports teams, the Orlando Magic and the Green Bay Packers.


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