Floridians Abroad

There are over 85,000 Florida voters abroad. Our votes make a difference!

WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE!
Get in touch at: [email protected]

Looking forward

Posted 9 Nov, 2024.

The 2024 Election results are not what any of us wanted or worked so hard for. While it's appropriate to take time to grieve, there is much work to do in the coming months and years. Here's what we know right now:

There will be an open race for Florida Governor in 2026, as Ron DeSantis is term-limited. We expect candidates to declare for the governorship by June 2025, if not before.
Attorney General, Controller, and Agriculture/Consumer Affairs Commissioner will also be on the 2026 ballot. Attorney General and Controller will be open seats as well.
There is a petition circulating now to expand Medicaid coverage in Florida to more people who are unable to afford health insurance. The first hurdle is to gather enough signatures to place the measure on the 2026 General Election ballot. We'll have a news article about the petition drive posted shortly.
There were many reports of problems requesting and returning ballots for the 2024 election.

On the last point, your Florida State Team will be working to address as many of these issues as possible, but each voter must do their part, too!

We would very much appreciate you taking a moment to complete a short survey about your experiences voting from abroad as a Florida voter in 2024 at: 2024 post-election voter survey.
In January 2025, make certain to submit a new FPCA at Vote From Abroad. All Florida absentee ballot requests expire after each general election. Submitting your request in January updates your information, makes certain that you are registered, and that you will receive a ballot for any elections in calendar year 2025. This includes any special elections, which can occur on very short notice.
Make certain to confirm your FPCA was received and processed. Many of the assistance requests that Democrats Abroad received from Florida voters in 2024 were along the lines of, "I sent in my ballot request months ago. It's now a week before the election and I haven't received my ballot." In many of these cases, the voter's FPCA was either never received or there was a problem that prevented it from being processed. If you do not receive confirmation that your request was received and processed successfully, call your local election office!
If you are an US citizen who has not been issued a Social Security Number, you will need one (or a Florida Driver's License or ID) in order to request an absentee ballot. You can apply for a Social Security Number if you live outside the US by contacting the Federal Benefits Unit for your country. To find the FBU office in your country, go to: www.ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm. This process can take several months, so you should start the process now.

Please watch for periodic articles and newsletters from your Florida State Team. Later this month we'll be sending out a newsletter with more information about the 2024 election and the work we have planned. We'll also be posting articles about this month with more specific information on election results.

For 2025, our goal is to publish at least one news article monthly on our news page at https://www.democratsabroad.org/fl_usa_news, and to publish a newsletter at least quarterly. We'll keep you up to date on election information, Florida political news, and what your Florida State Team is working on. If you haven't been receiving our newsletters, please log into your DA account and check your communication preferences.

A final thought to keep in mind: The party that holds the Presidency almost always loses Congressional seats in the mid-term election. We must be ready!

FULL STATE/LOCAL BALLOT OR FEDERAL BALLOT? (Intent to return)

You must request your ballot every election year, which you can do at votefromabroad.org. In Florida, each county Supervisor of Elections office determines which ballot you receive depending on how you answer the question about whether you plan to return to Florida.

If you choose "intend to return, ": You are eligible to vote in federal, state, and local elections.

(You don't have to have a set return date, and it doesn't have to be within a set time frame, but you do need to have the intention to return at some time in the future.)

If you report that your “return is uncertain” in Florida: You may or may not be eligible to vote in state and local elections, but you can still vote for your US House Representative and US Senator.

NOTE: Many counties reported that they WOULD send a full ballot to "return uncertain" voters. Unfortunately, two of the biggest -- Miami/Dade & Palm Beach -- said they would only send a federal ballot.

MIAMI/DADE NOTE: The Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections limits who can get a full ballot for "overseas residents who are not registered Miami-Dade voters." It goes on to say if you or a family member has a home in Miami-Dade county and your FPCA/ballot request application is received no later than 29 days before the election, you will "...become an actual Miami-Dade County voter." However, "If your last address was in Miami-Dade County and you do not currently have a home in Miami-Dade County, you are eligible to receive an Overseas Citizen's Ballot for Federal Elections..." Source: Miami-Dade County/Elections/Vote by Mail/Overseas and Military Voters.

Florida doesn't have an income tax, so there's no tax downside to choosing "intend to return."

General Public Resources - Democratic and Non-partisan

County by County League of Women Voters voting guides:
Check your county/region Democratic party’s website, as they might have made recommendations.
Vote 411, run by the League of Women Voters Education Fund:
Ballotpedia has information about Florida Elections.
Google your local news sources, social media, progressive groups, etc.