Your Voice Your Power Your Vote LEAGUE OF

Your Voice. Your Power. Your Vote! LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS® OF FLORIDA

The League of Women Voters We’re a nonpartisan political nonprofit organization Established in 1920 when women got the vote Men accepted since 1972 We serve voters and promote good governance We research, educate and advocate 2

What We’re Going to Cover History of voting in the U. S. The importance of voting Why some people don’t vote How to register and vote 3

Voting Rights Q: Is there a constitutional right to vote? 4

HISTORY OF VOTING RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

1776: Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. ” 6

1869– 1870: After the Civil War The 15 th Amendment said all male citizens over age 21 may vote, regardless of: • Race • Color • Previous condition of servitude 7

1919– 1920: Women’s Suffrage The 19 th Amendment gives all citizens the right to vote regardless of sex. 8

1924: Native American Suffrage Native Americans were granted the right to vote under the Indian Citizenship Act 9

1965: Voting Rights Act No state or political subdivision may deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. ” 10

1971: Voting Age The 26 th Amendment is passed, granting young adults the right to vote at age 18 and older. 11

2013 Voting Rights Act Modified In June 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, 12

The Importance of Voting 13

VOTING BENEFITS PEOPLE WHO VOTE

YOUR VOTE COUNTS

Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don’t vote. — William E. Simon, 63 rd U. S. Secretary of Treasury

The League can help

Top Reasons People Don’t Vote 18

Top Reasons People Don’t Vote They think their vote won’t count. They say that they are too busy. They have difficulty with registration requirements. They don’t care. They think that voting lineups are too long. They don’t like the candidates. They have trouble getting to the polls. 19

Voter Suppression Requiring photo IDs Disenfranchising nonviolent felons who have served their time Providing insufficient voting sites Spreading disinformation Reducing polling places Gerrymandering voting districts 20

Register to Vote 21

To register to vote in Florida, you must: #1 Be a U. S. citizen. #2 Be a Florida resident. You can pre-register to vote at 16, but you must wait until you’re 18 years old to vote #3 Be at least 18 years old. #4 Have never been convicted of a felony. unless your voting rights have been restored #5 Have never been legally judged ineligible to vote. for either mental incapacity or committing a crime 22

Apply to register to vote in Florida: 1. In person at any Supervisor of Elections office 2. Any of these agencies while accessing their services: • Florida driver's license office • Tax collector's office that issues driver's licenses or Florida identification cards 3. All offices that provide public assistance 23

Apply to register to vote in Florida: 4. All offices that provide state-funded programs for persons with disabilities 5. Armed Forces Recruitment Offices 6. Centers for Independent Living 7. Public libraries 8. Authorized third-party voter registration organizations 24

Florida Voter Registration Application New voter registration Replace voter card Record change of: • Address • Name • Party affiliation • Signature 25

You can register online to vote But do it at least 29 days before an election 26

Be Ready to Vote 27

Take the pledge to vote! There are 3 ways to vote: • Vote-by-mail • Early • At your precinct on Election Day 28

Florida PICTURE ID required at the polls: 1. Florida driver’s license 2. Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 3. United States passport 4. Debit or credit card bearing your photo 5. Military identification 6. Student identification 29

Florida picture ID required at the polls: 7. Retirement center identification 8. Neighborhood association identification 9. Public assistance identification 10. Veteran health identification card 11. Florida concealed carry license 12. Federal, state, county or municipal employee identification card 30

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

THANK YOU More information on voter registration, education and engagement: OF FLORIDA www. lwvfl. org

We can help today with: • Voter registration application forms • Vote-by-mail applications • Address changes • Signature updates • Party affiliation changes 33