Florida Senate - 2010                                     SB 828 
 
By Senator Rich 
34-00649C-10                                           2010828__ 
1                        A bill to be entitled 
2         An act relating to early voting; amending s. 101.657, 
3         F.S.; expanding the list of available sites at which 
4         early voting may be held to include specified 
5         facilities or any other location designated by a 
6         supervisor of elections as meeting the requirements of 
7         state law; deleting a requirement that an early voting 
8         site be designated and used as such for at least 1 
9         year before an election; providing requirements for 
10         determining the number of early voting sites each 
11         county must operate; expanding early voting hours to 
12         12 hours per weekday and at least 12 hours in the 
13         aggregate each weekend at each site during the 
14         applicable periods; providing an effective date. 
15 
16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
17 
18         Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (1) of 
19  section 101.657, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 
20         101.657 Early voting.— 
21         (1)(a) As a convenience to the voter, the supervisor of 
22  elections shall allow an elector to vote early in the main or 
23  branch office of the supervisor, any city hall, public library 
24  facility, courthouse, place of worship, civic center, convention 
25  center, community center, county government center, conference 
26  center, community college facility, university or college, 
27  fairgrounds, or any other location designated by the supervisor 
28  as meeting the requirements of this section. The supervisor 
29  shall mark, code, indicate on, or otherwise track the voter’s 
30  precinct for each early voted ballot. In order for a branch 
31  office to be used for early voting, it shall be a permanent 
32  facility of the supervisor and shall have been designated and 
33  used as such for at least 1 year prior to the election. The 
34  supervisor may also designate any city hall or permanent public 
35  library facility as Early voting sites; however, if so 
36  designated, the sites must be geographically located so as to 
37  provide all voters in the county an equal opportunity to cast a 
38  ballot, insofar as is practicable. Each county shall operate the 
39  same total number of early voting sites that it used for the 
40  2008 general election, or one early voting site plus one 
41  additional early voting site for every complete set of 65,000 
42  registered voters in the county as of July 1 of each general 
43  election year, whichever is greater. The results or tabulation 
44  of votes cast during early voting may not be made before the 
45  close of the polls on election day. Results shall be reported by 
46  precinct. 
47         (d) Early voting shall begin on the 15th day before an 
48  election and end on the 2nd day before an election. For purposes 
49  of a special election held pursuant to s. 100.101, early voting 
50  shall begin on the 8th day before an election and end on the 2nd 
51  day before an election. Early voting shall be provided for 12 8 
52  hours per weekday and at least 12 8 hours in the aggregate each 
53  weekend at each site during the applicable periods. Early voting 
54  sites shall open no sooner than 7 a.m. and close no later than 7 
55  p.m. on each applicable day. 
56         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.