| 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 early |
| 4 | voting may be held to include specified facilities or any |
| 5 | other location designated by a supervisor of elections as |
| 6 | meeting the requirements of state law; deleting a |
| 7 | requirement that an early voting site be designated and |
| 8 | used as such for at least 1 year before an election; |
| 9 | providing requirements for determining the number of early |
| 10 | voting sites each county must operate; expanding early |
| 11 | voting hours to 12 hours per weekday and 12 hours in the |
| 12 | aggregate each weekend at each site during the applicable |
| 13 | periods; providing an effective date. |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (1) of |
| 18 | section 101.657, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 19 | 101.657 Early voting.- |
| 20 | (1)(a) As a convenience to the voter, the supervisor of |
| 21 | elections shall allow an elector to vote early in the main or |
| 22 | branch office of the supervisor and may allow such early voting |
| 23 | in any city hall, public library facility, courthouse, place of |
| 24 | worship, civic center, convention center, community center, |
| 25 | county government center, conference center, community college |
| 26 | facility, university or college, fairgrounds, or any other |
| 27 | location designated by the supervisor as meeting the |
| 28 | requirements of this section. The supervisor shall mark, code, |
| 29 | indicate on, or otherwise track the voter's precinct for each |
| 30 | early voted ballot. In order for a branch office to be used for |
| 31 | early voting, it shall be a permanent facility of the supervisor |
| 32 | and shall have been designated and used as such for at least 1 |
| 33 | year prior to the election. The supervisor may also designate |
| 34 | any city hall or permanent public library facility as Early |
| 35 | voting sites; however, if so designated, the sites must be |
| 36 | geographically located so as to provide all voters in the county |
| 37 | an equal opportunity to cast a ballot, insofar as is |
| 38 | practicable. Each county shall operate the same total number of |
| 39 | early voting sites that it used for the 2008 general election, |
| 40 | or one early voting site plus one additional early voting site |
| 41 | for every complete set of 65,000 registered voters in the county |
| 42 | as of July 1 of each general election year, whichever is |
| 43 | greater. The results or tabulation of votes cast during early |
| 44 | voting may not be made before the close of the polls on election |
| 45 | day. Results shall be reported by precinct. |
| 46 | (d) Early voting shall begin on the 15th day before an |
| 47 | election and end on the 2nd day before an election. For purposes |
| 48 | of a special election held pursuant to s. 100.101, early voting |
| 49 | shall begin on the 8th day before an election and end on the 2nd |
| 50 | day before an election. Early voting shall be provided for 12 8 |
| 51 | hours per weekday and 12 8 hours in the aggregate each weekend |
| 52 | at each site during the applicable periods. Early voting sites |
| 53 | shall open no sooner than 7 a.m. and close no later than 7 p.m. |
| 54 | on each applicable day. |
| 55 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |