During the 2026 legislative session, the Florida Legislature passed HB 0991, now Chapter 2026-26, Laws of Florida. This law will not have an impact on voter registration or voting in the 2026 elections. 

As currently written, this new law will require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote or updating their existing registration, unless such information is already recorded in databases maintained by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Since most voters provided these documents when obtaining their Florida driver's license or state ID card, they may not need to take any additional action. For voters who do not have a Florida license or ID card, or who did not provide citizenship documentation to DHSMV, they may need to provide additional documents when registering or updating their registration.

The new law also limits what kinds of ID voters can present when voting in person. Voters would no longer be allowed to use debit or credit cards, student IDs, retirement center IDs, neighborhood IDs, or public assistance IDs when voting in person.

The portions of the law that affect voter registration and voting do not go into effect until January 1, 2027, so they will not have an impact on the 2026 Primary or General Elections. Once the law goes into effect, we will provide voters with information about any actions they need to take to ensure their voter registration information is updated with citizenship information.

You can learn more about HB991 on the website for the Florida House of Representatives.

As currently written, the federal SAVE Act would require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship in order to register and vote. The allowable documents include birth certificates, passports, naturalization certificates, or other official documentation. If a person's name on this documentation does not match their current legal name (which may have changed due to marriage or other legal process), then the person would have to also provide documentary proof of the name change (such as the marriage certificate or court order with the name change). The federal SAVE Act may also restrict the use of mail voting. 

At this time, the SAVE Act is not law and its passage is not guaranteed. It has passed the United States House of Representatives and has been sent to the Senate. However, it will not become law unless it is passed by the Senate and signed by the President. Since the bill language is not yet finalized, the exact impacts on voters are not known at this moment.

If the SAVE Act does become law, we will provide voters with information about any impacts to their ability to register and vote. 

You can learn more about the SAVE Act from the official congressional website for the bill.

On March 23, 2026, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee regarding the legality of counting Vote-by-Mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. The impact of this court case on Florida voters will be limited, as Florida law only allows this in narrow circumstances: in a General Election, Presidential Preference Primary Election, or Special Election, overseas ballots can be received up to 10 days after Election Day, provided they are dated by the voter or postmarked by Election Day.

As Florida only allows the counting of these ballots in very specific circumstances, the overall impact of this ruling would be limited in Florida.

A ruling from the Supreme Court on this matter is expected in late June or early July. If the Court rules that overseas ballots must be received by Election Day in order to be counted, we will reach out to overseas voters registered in Leon County to make sure they are aware of the change.

You can learn more about this case on the official Supreme Court website.