JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — COVID-19 has made everything more complicated in our lives, including voting in the November General Election and, for some Florida residents, getting a driver's license or an ID.
There's a backlog for appointments, so how do those new to the state register to vote and cast their ballot?
A local woman tagged First Coast News on a tweet, which said her friend, a new Florida resident, couldn't get an appointment for a driver's license until the end of November. That prompted an On Your Side investigation.
“The COVID virus has been a real challenge for us and for every tax collector in the state of Florida," said Jim Overton, a Duval County tax collector.
Overton said the wait to get an appointment is currently about six weeks, but people who want an ID or driver's license to vote are an exception.
“Since the election is coming up, we will see people to get a Florida driver’s license or a Florida ID on a walk-in basis, which may require you to wait for a while because the appointments will be full for the day, but we will do that," Overton said.
You can't register to vote online without a Florida driver's license, but you can use your social security number to print out an application and mail it in. You can find the form on the Florida Department of State website, and Duval County residents can register to vote by clicking here.
“As long as it’s postmarked by Monday [Oct. 5], it will be able to be received. Also, you can go to any of the local libraries. We have drop boxes that have voter applications," said Robert Phillips, chief elections officer for the Duval County Supervisor of Elections.
What should you know about having an ID on Election Day?
"There are several different forms of identification that you can use," Phillips said. "In addition to a Florida driver’s license or ID card, you have debit cards, student IDs, concealed weapons permits, passports, and military IDs.”
You can still vote by a provisional ballot if you don't have any of those forms of identification.