Can I Take a Selfie With My Ballot in Florida? The Polling-Place Rules, With 5.4 Million Already Voted
Yes - since 2019, with conditions. As Florida passes 5.4 million ballots cast, here is what you can and cannot do inside the booth on Election Day, from ballot photos to campaign hats to the family dog.
More than 5.4 million Florida voters had already cast ballots as of Monday morning, according to the Florida Division of Elections - almost 40 percent of the 13.7 million registered voters eligible to vote on November 3. For the majority who vote on Election Day itself, the questions inside the booth are practical ones, and Florida's answers start with the photograph almost everyone wants to take.
Ballot selfies are legal in Florida, and have been since 2019 - with conditions. You may take a picture of your own ballot inside the voting booth. You may not take a picture of yourself inserting the ballot into the tabulator, and you may not take pictures of anything else in the polling place or early voting area. What you took legally, you may share: ballot pictures can be posted online, and so can the classic selfies - you with your 'I VOTED' sticker, or standing next to a 'VOTE HERE' sign.
The rest of the booth rules, per Florida Statutes and the Division of Elections as the News-Journal set them out: campaign buttons, shirts and hats are allowed on voters - the line is soliciting, which is barred within 150 feet of the polling-place entrance. Your phone can come into the booth as a reference for notes, a sample ballot or a voter guide, and a printed cheat sheet is equally legal - neither may be handed out to other voters inside, and the phone may not be used for calls (officials recommend silent mode). Children may come with you, and so may service and emotional support animals. Bring a current, valid photo ID with a signature - a Florida driver's license or ID card, a U.S. passport, and military, student, veteran health and government employee IDs are all on the state's accepted list. Polls run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at your assigned precinct.
