This year’s graduating class will be 18 by November 2024. Just in time for elections! This is an important right and a valuable privilege that we have here in the United States to be able to participate in the election of our president. Unfortunately, not enough people take advantage of this opportunity, especially when they are freshly eligible to vote.
Perhaps you pre-registered to vote when you got your driver’s license. That is great! If that is the case, whether you turn 18 on or before election day, your pre-registration will be automatically activated 30 days before election day on November 5. Despite the misconception, you CAN vote in the election without voting in the primaries. If you are registered with a party and turn 18 before the primary election on March 19th, you can vote in the primaries as well. However, if you are not 18 in time for the primaries, still be sure to vote in the election. If you have not pre-registered to vote, you can visit the American Constitution Society online and fill out the pre-registration form for citizens ages 16 to 17. If you have turned 18 already or want to register once you turn 18, you can visit the Florida Online Voter Registration System. It is not a complicated process at all. You will need your Florida driver’s license or ID, as well as your social security number.
The Palmetto & Pine staff posted a poll on our Instagram. 71 percent of our eligible followers are registered or pre-registered to vote. That is a great ratio of students who are preparing to exercise their right to have a say in their country’s politics. SPHS junior Gavin Virelli and senior Mae Denson are both pre-registered and planning to vote in the next election they are eligible for. Excitingly for Mae, the next election is the 2024 presidential election! Hopefully, the remaining students will invest in this opportunity as well.
For more information on your supervisor of elections for your county of residence, which offices are up for election, and who is running, you can visit the Florida Department of State online. For more information from the Palmetto & Pine, stay tuned for this continued series on voting information!
Check your registration status:
https://registration.elections.myflorida.com/en/CheckVoterStatus/Index
Pre-register to vote:
https://www.acslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Registration-Florida.pdf
Register to vote:
