Gator GOTV Coalition & the UF Voter Engagement Plan
Our Center has invited a comprehensive list of UF student groups engaged in voter registration activities to join the 2020 Gator GOTV Coalition, an informal entity that will help student groups share information, access resources and connect to the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition.
See our plan for increasing voter engagement here.
2012 & 2016 Student Voting Rates for the University of Florida
2014 & 2018 Student Voting Rates for the University of Florida
Take the 2020 Census
Taking the census is critically important to making sure federal resources are properly allocated.
An undercount of the UF campus community in the 2010 Census contributed to a loss of $390 million in federal funding for Alachua County over the last decade.
You should be counted where you live and sleep most of the year and for most UF students, that means being counted within Gainesville.
To complete the census, head to my2020census.gov
Get Registered to Vote
UF TurboVote is an online tool that makes voting easy.
Visit the site below to register to vote and also request a vote-by-mail ballot. TurboVote will also send you text and email reminders about registration deadlines, upcoming elections, and where to vote.
UF Student Voting Guide 2020
For many University of Florida students, the 2020 Election will be the first chance they have to vote for the president of the United States.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3 (early voting has ended in many locations in Florida, including Alachua County ). Polls will be open throughout Florida from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (EST). If you are in line by the closing time, then you have a right to vote.
Unlike early voting, voters who wait till Election Day must vote in their assigned precinct.  Find your polling location location at this link. In Alachua County, you can access that information 24/7 at VoteAlachua.com.
Voting hours at some precincts may be subject to change. Check the hours of your local voting precinct at this link.
If you are voting by mail, be sure your completed ballot is returned to the respective supervisor of elections office before 7 p.m. on Election Day.
If you requested an absentee ballot but wish to vote at your precinct on Election Day, take the Vote-By-Mail ballot with you to the polls. If you don’t take the ballot with you to be cancelled, you may be instructed to vote a provisional ballot.
Check to See if Your Mail Ballot Has Been Counted
To vote in-person, wear a mask, and bring an official picture ID that bears your signature, like your Gator 1 card or your Florida’s driver’s license.
What’s On the Ballot
The Bob Graham Center for Public Service is nonpartisan and does not advocate for candidates or issues. We provide these trusted links to the candidates and issues on the Florida ballot so UF students are prepared to make choices that represent their voice.
President of the United States
There are seven candidates on the Florida ballot. Learn about them and their platforms at this link:Â https://www.ballotready.org/v/positions/florida-president-of-the-united-states
Constitutional AmendmentsÂ
Each thumbnail opens a brief and informative video.
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Sample Ballot
Obtain a ‘sample ballot’ online, which is a copy of the actual ballot you will receive at the polling station or on the vote-by-mail ballot. Your sample ballot will contain a complete list of offices and issues for which you are eligible to vote.
In Florida, you can download and print a sample ballot from this link: Â Preview and download your sample ballot
New! Our Gators Vote Everywhere Ambassadors have created a mobile voter’s guide that you can download and take with you to the polls.
New! Our partners at TurboVote provide voting information for voters in all 50 states. Check it out at this link: https://howto.vote/
Questions Frequently Asked by UF Student Voters
(Many thanks to the UF Gators Vote Everywhere Ambassadors for this information.)
University of Florida students can register to vote at school or ‘back home.’ Your photo ID does not have to match your voter registration address. Use your Gator 1 as proof of your UF enrollment.
You can bring your sample ballot, cell phones, voting guides and other items to help you vote at the voting booth. Our Gators Vote Everywhere Ambassadors have created a mobile voter’s guide that you can download and take with you to the polls.
If you leave a race blank on your ballot, that is called an undervote. Your blank will not count toward the results of that particular race, but it won’t void your entire ballot. Your votes in every other race will still count.
In the fall general election, you are eligible to vote for any candidate from any party. It doesn’t matter if you’re registered for a political party or whom you may have voted for in the past. You can also vote in the general election even if you didn’t vote in a previous Florida primary.
Completed Florida absentee ballots must be returned to the county of origin and received in the supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 will NOT be counted. If a voter has requested an absentee ballot in Alachua County, they may return the completed ballot at drop boxes provided at polling locations.
As long as you are registered to vote in Florida by Oct. 5, you can vote at the Reitz or any early voting site in Alachua County during the early voting period.
As long as they are registered to vote in Florida by Oct. 5, UF students can update their registration and vote at the Reitz Union during early voting days (or any early voting location in Alachua County), regardless of their assigned precinct. If you wait to vote on Election Day, you must vote in your assigned precinct and home county.
During early voting, you can have your absentee ballot request ‘cancelled’ at the Reitz Union polling location. You can then update your registration and vote in person.
Recommended Links
Florida Department of State Voter Information Lookup(opens in new tab)
League of Women Voters of Florida Vote 411 Site(opens in new tab)