Ensuring safe elections: How Florida protects the integrity of your vote

You can vote at any electoral event with the assurance that your vote will be correctly processed and counted.

Former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the integrity of the country’s electoral system hurt the 2020 election.

To cling to power, Trump pushed thinly supported allegations of election misconduct and fraud.

RELATED: What you need to know about voting on Election Day in Florida

However, his claims are baseless, as laws, processes, and maintenance protect the country’s electoral system.

You can vote at any electoral event with the assurance that your vote will be correctly processed and counted.

The non-partisan organization, All Voting is Local, explained the process that the electoral system utilizes to safeguard each voter’s vote.

Ricardo Negrón Almodóvar, the organization’s senior Florida campaign manager, emphasized the importance of voters trusting in the system’s security despite the high levels of misinformation.

“There are systems in place to ensure that Florida’s elections are safe and secure. It is important that voters are aware of these systems and participate in the public procedures that exist to provide transparency and clarify concerns,” Negrón Almodóvar told Floricua.

Below, we summarize the process explained by All Voting is Local, which ensures the security of the electoral system in Florida:

List Maintenance

Florida law mandates that Supervisors of Elections carry out a general registration list maintenance program to ensure accurate and current voter records in the statewide system. Voters’ names cannot be removed from the system within 90 days of a federal election unless they request it in writing, move out of state, pass away, or are deemed ineligible.

Logic and Accuracy Testing

Before any voting system is used in a Florida election, it must be tested and approved by the Secretary of State. To ensure proper functioning, Florida law requires the Supervisor of Elections to conduct public testing of voting equipment, including tabulators, ballot marking devices, and auditing scanners. This testing, conducted publicly within 25 days before early voting, is announced at least 48 hours in advance. The county canvassing board oversees the test and must certify the equipment’s accuracy. If any device fails, it must be fixed and retested before use. Public participation is encouraged.

Paper Ballots

Florida elections use paper ballots. Voters mark their choices on a mark-sense ballot using a marking device or a voter interface device that produces a voter-verifiable paper record. These devices also meet accessibility requirements for individuals with disabilities as outlined in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and Florida law.

Reporting of Vote-By-Mail Count

Florida law requires Supervisors of Elections to update their websites with the number of vote-by-mail ballots received and those still uncounted. This reporting begins at 7:00 p.m. on election day and must be updated at least every hour while counting continues.

Recounts

Florida law specifies when and who orders recounts. The Secretary of State orders recounts for federal, state, or multi county races, while the County Canvassing Board handles other races. A machine recount is triggered if the margin of defeat or approval is 0.5% or less of the total votes. Candidates can waive this recount in writing. A manual recount is required if the margin is 0.25% or less, unless waived by the candidate or if the number of overvotes/undervotes wouldn’t change the result.

Certification

After every election in Florida, a certification process is conducted to ensure accurate vote counting and to confirm the results. The County Canvassing Board, made up of the County Supervisor of Elections, a County Commissioner, and a County Judge, certifies the results at the county level. Then, the state Election Canvassing Commission, which includes the governor and two selected state cabinet members, must certify the results at the state level.

Audits

Florida law requires the county canvassing board conduct either a manual or automated independent audit of voting systems in randomly selected precincts after certifying an election.

Hand Counts

While some areas in the US are pushing for full hand counts of ballots before results are certified, this is not legal in Florida. All counties must use an electronic or electromechanical voting system for tabulation. Hand counts in Florida are only allowed under specific, controlled circumstances and are generally more error-prone, costly, and time-consuming than machine counts.

Mass Challenges

You may receive lists from private groups or individuals claiming certain voters are ineligible and asking you to convince election officials to remove them. However, Florida law prohibits using non-governmental sources for voter list maintenance. These lists often attempt to bypass Florida’s voter challenge rules. Challenges can only be made by a registered voter or poll watcher from the same county as the person being challenged, within 30 days before or on Election Day. They must be submitted to the supervisor of elections or at a polling place, not emailed to other officials.