§ 97.053, Fla. Stat. · Part II. FLORIDA VOTER REGISTRATION ACT
Acceptance of voter registration applications.
Not yet in force
The 2026 edition prints this section as amended by section 4 of chapter 2026-26, Laws of Florida, which takes effect January 1, 2027. Until then, the text in force does not include that amendment.
Text in force until December 31, 2026 — 2025 Florida Statutes
This is the text of section 97.053 as printed in the 2025 Florida Statutes. Section 4 of chapter 2026-26, Laws of Florida changes it effective January 1, 2027; the 2026 edition prints the changed text. No 2026 act changes this section with an earlier effective date (the section's own history line names no other 2026 act). BenchPath derived this from the acts' effective-date clauses; confirm with the official publisher before relying on it.
(1) Voter registration applications, changes in registration, and requests for a replacement voter information card must be accepted in the office of any supervisor, the division, a driver license office, a voter registration agency, or an armed forces recruitment office when hand delivered by the applicant or a third party during the hours that office is open or when mailed.
(2) A voter registration application is complete and becomes the official voter registration record of that applicant when all information necessary to establish the applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041 is received by a voter registration official and verified pursuant to subsection (6). If the applicant fails to complete his or her voter registration application prior to the date of book closing for an election, then such applicant shall not be eligible to vote in that election.
(3) The registration date for a valid initial voter registration application that has been hand delivered is the date that the application is received by a driver license office, a voter registration agency, an armed forces recruitment office, the division, or the office of any supervisor in the state.
(4) The registration date for a valid initial voter registration application that has been mailed to a driver license office, a voter registration agency, an armed forces recruitment office, the division, or the office of any supervisor in the state and bears a clear postmark is the date of that postmark. If an initial voter registration application that has been mailed does not bear a postmark or if the postmark is unclear, the registration date is the date the application is received by any supervisor or the division, unless it is received within 5 days after the closing of the books for an election, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, in which case the registration date is the book-closing date.
(5)(a) A voter registration application is complete if it contains the following information necessary to establish the applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041, including:
1. The applicant’s name.
2. The applicant’s address of legal residence, including a distinguishing apartment, suite, lot, room, or dormitory room number or other identifier, if appropriate. Failure to include a distinguishing apartment, suite, lot, room, or dormitory room or other identifier on a voter registration application does not impact a voter’s eligibility to register to vote or cast a ballot, and such an omission may not serve as the basis for a challenge to a voter’s eligibility or reason to not count a ballot.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes (as printed, with the change not yet in force)
(1) Voter registration applications, changes in registration, and requests for a replacement voter information card must be accepted in the office of any supervisor, the division, a driver license office, a voter registration agency, or an armed forces recruitment office when hand delivered by the applicant or a third party during the hours that office is open or when mailed.
(2) A voter registration application is complete and becomes the official voter registration record of that applicant when all information necessary to establish the applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041 is received by a voter registration official and verified pursuant to subsection (6). Except as provided in subsection (6), if the applicant fails to complete his or her voter registration application on or before the date of book closing for an election, such applicant is not eligible to vote in that election.
(3) The registration date for a valid initial voter registration application that has been hand delivered is the date that the application is received by a driver license office, a voter registration agency, an armed forces recruitment office, the division, or the office of any supervisor in the state.
(4)(a) The registration date for a valid initial voter registration application that has been mailed to a driver license office, a voter registration agency, an armed forces recruitment office, the division, or the office of any supervisor in the state and bears a clear postmark is the date of that postmark. If an initial voter registration application that has been mailed does not bear a postmark or if the postmark is unclear, the registration date is the date the application is received by any supervisor or the division, unless it is received within 5 days after the closing of the books for an election, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, in which case the registration date is the book-closing date.
(b) The registration date for a valid application to update a voter’s record with a change of address or name is the date the application was initially received once the required sufficient evidence is verified.
(c) The registration date for a valid application to update a voter’s record with a change of party affiliation is the date the application was initially received, and the registration is effective once the required sufficient evidence is verified unless the registration books are closed for a primary election, in which case the update is effective for the subsequent general election.
(5)(a) A voter registration application is complete if it contains the following information necessary to establish the applicant’s eligibility pursuant to s. 97.041, including:
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
s. 11, ch. 94-224; s. 27, ch. 97-13; s. 5, ch. 98-129; s. 4, ch. 2003-415; s. 5, ch. 2005-277; s. 6, ch. 2005-278; s. 13, ch. 2007-30; s. 3, ch. 2008-95; s. 2, ch. 2016-23; s. 22, ch. 2019-162; s. 15, ch. 2020-2; s. 5, ch. 2021-11; s. 1, ch. 2024-78; s. 4, ch. 2026-26.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0097/0097.html
- Text hash
- sha256 99a2d99f3b4553c3b856181047ce6281647ed3691f9c5518a323c18bf011da6d
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
- composed from the Legislature's structured HTML (one source of text; no PDF extraction); a second, independent reading of the same bytes agrees character for character
- L6-03: 1 change(s) from the 2026 Laws of Florida take effect after 2026-10-04
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
The Florida Statutes
- § 97.041, Fla. Stat.Qualifications to register or vote.Printed as s. 97.041
- § 97.051, Fla. Stat.Oath upon registering.Printed as s. 97.051
- § 97.1031, Fla. Stat.Notice of change of residence, change of name, or change of party affiliation.Printed as s. 97.1031
- § 98.075, Fla. Stat.Registration records maintenance activities; ineligibility determinations.Printed as s. 98.075(7)
Cited by 4 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites § 97.053, Fla. Stat.. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
The Florida Statutes
- § 97.026, Fla. Stat.Forms to be available in alternative formats and via the Internet.Printed as ss. 97.051, 97.052, 97.053, 97.057, 97.058, 97.0583, 97.071, 97.073, 97.1031, 98.075, 99.021, 100.361, 100.371, 101.045, 101.171, 101.20, 101.6103, 101.62, 101.64, 101.65, 101.657, 105.031, 106.023, a
- § 97.0525, Fla. Stat.Online voter registration.Printed as s. 97.053
- § 97.057, Fla. Stat.Voter registration by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.Printed as s. 97.053; s. 97.053(5)
- § 98.045, Fla. Stat.Administration of voter registration.Printed as s. 97.053
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.