Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender warns that if you have renewed or replaced your state-issued Florida Driver’s License or ID card as of July 31, 2024, you must update your voter registration to avoid issues, particularly with requesting a vote-by-mail ballot or signing petitions.
Background: Beginning on July 31, 2024, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles began implementing legislation that requires the distinguishing numbers assigned to a driver’s license or identification card to include at least four randomly generated numbers. The change was done “to improve security and safeguard individuals’ identities.”
The new Driver’s License number isn’t automatically forwarded to the Supervisor of Elections. When voters go online to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot, they could encounter error messages if their driver’s license information is out of sync with the information they supplied when registering to vote…