Early Voting

Early Voting begins Saturday, October 27, 2012.  Ten centers are available to eligible voters through Saturday, November 3, 2012.  Florida law requires voters to present signature and photo identification when checking in to Early Vote.  If a voter has moved since the last elections - especially if they've crossed county lines - they are encouraged to call 407-836-VOTE (8683) to update their registration record prior to visiting the Early Voting Center.

Early Voting Locations and hours of operations are:

Alafaya Branch Library, 12000 East Colonial Drive, Orlando

(8am-8pm)

Apopka Community Center & VFW, 519 S. Central Avenue, Apopka (8am-8pm)

Orlando Public Library (Downtown), 101 E. Central Blvd, Orlando (8am-8pm M-Th, 8am-6pm F-Sat, 1pm-6pm Sun)

South Creek Branch Library, 1702 Deerfield Blvd, Orlando

(8am-8pm)

Southeast Branch Library, 5575 S. Semoran Blvd, Orlando

(8am-8pm)

Southwest Branch Library, 7255 Della Drive, Orlando

(8am-8pm)

Supervisor of Elections Office, 119 W. Kaley St, Orlando

(8am-8pm)

Washington Park Branch Library, 5151 Raleigh St, Suite A, Orlando

(8am-8pm)

West Oaks Branch Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Rd, Ocoee

(8am-8pm)

Winter Park Library, 460 E. New England Ave, Winter Park

(8am-8pm)

Bogus letters question Florida voters' citizenship

Please be careful on this.... Dave

The state has launched a criminal investigation of bogus letters sent to at least dozens of Florida voters suggesting they won't be allowed to vote unless they prove they are U.S. citizens.

The letters, received by voters in at least 23 counties so far, falsely claim to be from county elections supervisors and demand proof of citizenship within 15 days.

"This is voter intimidation 14 days out from a presidential election," said Brevard CountySupervisor of Elections Lori Scott. "The fear is they won't contact their supervisors. It looks official, and they're going to think, 'Well, I can't vote.'"

Most of those who have contacted elections officials after receiving the letter are Republicans, were born in the United States and are regular voters. At least some — including all of the reported recipients in Orange, Seminole and Brevard counties — have contributed to the Republican Party or Republican candidates.

"Since I'm a senior citizen and I've voted since I was 21, I was a little surprised," said Orlando resident Diane Parker, a GOP donor and volunteer who found the letter in her mailbox on Friday.

Parker thought the letter was legitimate, but a bureaucratic mistake. The letterhead said "Supervisor of Elections," and the envelope said "County Supervisor, Division of Elections." But it was postmarked from Seattle.

The letter says the Florida Division of Elections has provided information about the recipients' citizenship status, and that "registering to vote under fraudulent conditions or swearing a false oath are both third-degree felonies in Florida."

The mailing asks recipients to bring original documents proving citizenship to their elections office, and also included a "Voter Eligibility Form" asking for personal information.

In Central Florida, four Brevard voters reported receiving the letter, along with three in Orange, and one each in Seminole and Osceola counties.

The fake letters follow the state's own effort to purge voter rolls of noncitizens last spring. The state released a list of 2,600 registered voters identified as noncitizens and told elections supervisors to write them demanding proof of citizenship. The list was riddled with errors and a court battle ensued; the final tally included 198 names.

In an email to supervisors on Monday, Secretary of State Ken Detzner asked that all reports of the bogus letters be forwarded to the state for investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

"The Department of State takes this possible act of voter intimidation and fraudulent activity very seriously and is pursuing all avenues to ensure the practice is immediately stopped, as we do with all attempts at voter intimidation or fraud," Detzner wrote.