You can now schedule an appointment to vote: Palm Beach County tests new system

Florida’s new election laws will be tested by a broader contingent of voters next month. And in Palm Beach County, the elections chief is implementing a few options to try and improve the voter experience for the Aug. 23 primary.

There's been considerable angst about voter security laws enacted in the past two Florida legislative sessions. Critics have charged these rules as being restrictive for voters or unnecessary, considering that Florida wasn't the center of the election universe in 2020.

But local election officials say they have implemented other new voting procedures in Palm Beach County to help voters here, from an electronic feature to make selections on a paper ballot to an appointment system.

More: Four things voters should know about Florida's new election law

Inside the election: Behind-the-scenes tour of Palm Beach County's election process draws the inquisitive and curious

Related: Palm Beach County elections supervisor among officials scrambling to comply with new voting law

Whether casting a ballot in person during early voting or on Election Day, voters should expect to make their choices with an ExpressVote machine. These touch-screen devices can be operated in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, with ADA accessible options for those who are hard of hearing or seeing. The machines help voters avoid under- or over-voting, too.

The machines will produce a paper ballot, which voters will place through a scanning machine. Voters can still request to make their choices with a pen if that is their preference.

The elections office also will be testing out an appointment system during early voting. A voter can pick a day, time and one of 21 early voting locations to cast their ballot, and there will be a separate line for appointments only.

Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link recalled hours-long waits at some locations in north Palm Beach County during the last election cycle.

“We’re excited about it,” she said of the appointment system. “Between the heat and the rain, it’s not always convenient for the voters (to wait).”

If successful, Link said the system would be available for the general election on Nov. 8. Voters should be able to make appointments on the elections website 10 days before early voting begins at VotePalmBeach.gov.

Just over 992,000 people are registered to vote in Palm Beach County as of June – almost 399,000 Democrats, 285,000 Republicans and 286,000 voters with no party affiliation (NPA) – but not everyone will have a primary race to decide in August.

Since Florida is a closed primary state, only those registered with a party can vote in a contested partisan primary race will be on the ballot. That generally limits primary elections to Democrats or Republicans.

Here are some common questions regarding voting and the Aug. 23 primaries:

Can I still register to vote or change my party affiliation?

If you haven’t registered to vote in the Aug. 23 primary, or you want to change your party, you have until July 25 to do so.

New and existing voters can visit RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov or fill out an application in person at any Supervisor of Elections office, local library, driver license office, public assistance office, disabilities office, Armed Forces recruitment office or centers for independent living. The application will have to be returned to the Supervisor of Elections office.

Voters will need to provide either their Florida driver license or ID card as well as the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Is my current mail ballot request still active?

Yes, but you'll need to update it at the end of the year.

Due to a change last year in the state law, “all elections” mail ballot requests only last through the end of the calendar year of the following November general election, essentially a two-year interval. Existing requests will cover ballots for the August primary and November general election, and will expire this Dec. 31.

To receive mail ballots for elections in 2023 and 2024, a mail ballot request must be made after Nov. 8 of this year.

Voters will no longer be able to extend their mail ballot request on the prepaid ballot return envelope. These requests can only be made by phone, email or written letter – the latter requires a voter signature – and the following must be provided for verification: name, address, birthdate, Florida driver license or ID, or the last four digits of the Social Security number.

If you are making a request for someone else, you must describe your relationship to the voter – either a legal guardian or immediate family member, including spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or spouse’s sibling.

How did election laws in Florida change?

State lawmakers passed changes to the state’s election laws through SB 90 in 2021 and SB 524 in 2022.

These limited the duration of active mail ballot requests, altered the vote-by-mail process and required certain information to change one’s voter registration. They also created the Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Department of State. Ballot drop boxes are now called “secure ballot intake stations.”

Those who voted in the special elections in November and January were the first to test these new rules.

Groups challenged the legality of SB 90, and while a federal judge struck down parts of the law, a panel of three appellate judges, all appointed by former President Donald Trump, put a pause on this ruling, effectively restoring SB 90 as law of the land until a trial is held in September.

Am I limited in how many mail ballots I can drop off?

If you are trying to be a friendly neighbor by helping return a group of mail ballots without going to the post office, the good deed may get you in trouble.

Lawmakers decided this year that it is a third-degree felony to possess more than two mail ballots per election in addition to your own or that of an immediate family member. Last year, this was considered a first-degree misdemeanor.

“When you come (to drop off mail ballots at the secure ballot intake station), we’re going to make sure you’re aware of what the law is. There isn’t a way for me to know whether the ballot you have in your hand belongs to your sister or not,” Link said.

Will my voting location change?

Where you last voted in person on Election Day may not be the same location.

All voting precinct numbers will change because of redistricting, which happens every 10 years in conjunction with the decennial U.S. Census, Link said.

To find your polling place, go here.

Has redistricting changed who I can vote for?

Maybe. Through redistricting, the boundaries for districts from school board to Congress were redrawn, some more drastic than others. Link said her office has received many phone calls about the new boundaries.

“They don’t want to have a different Congressperson, or whatever it is that changed. They ask that we change them back,” Link said. “We don’t draw the line.”

All of this information will be included on voter information cards that the elections office is mailing to each voter. To check this information online, visit the “My Status” page on VotePalmBeach.gov.

Where are the early voting locations?

You have 21 locations from which to choose. Open between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Monday, Aug. 8 to Sunday, Aug. 21, these locations also will accept mail ballots at the secure ballot intake station during early voting hours.

• Jupiter Community Center: 200 Military Trail, Jupiter

• FAU Jupiter Campus: 5353 Parkside Drive, Jupiter

• Gardens Branch Library: 11303 Campus Drive, Palm Beach Gardens

• Wells Recreation and Community Complex: 2409 Avenue H West, Riviera Beach

• Acreage Branch Library: 15801 Orange Blvd., Loxahatchee

• SOE West County Branch Office: 2976 State Road #15, Second Floor, Belle Glade

• Belle Glade Branch Library: 725 NW Fourth St., Belle Glade

• Howard Park Community Center: 1302 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach

• South Florida Fairgrounds: 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach

• Summit Main Library: 3650 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach

• Wellington Branch Library: 1951 Royal Fern Drive, Wellington

• Greenacres Community Center: 501 Swain Blvd., Greenacres

• Lantana Road Branch Library: 4020 Lantana Road, Lake Worth

• Ezell Hester Community Center: 1901 N. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach

• Hagen Ranch Road Branch Library: 14350 Hagen Ranch Road, Delray Beach

• Delray Beach Community Center: 50 NW First St., Delray Beach

• South County Civic Center: 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach

• West Boca Branch Library: 18685 State Road 7, Boca Raton

• Spanish River Library: 1501 NW Spanish River Blvd., Boca Raton

• Boca Raton Downtown Library: 400 NW Second Ave., Boca Raton

• Sugar Sand Park Community Center: 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton

Where can I find ballot intake stations (formerly called ballot boxes)

Secure ballot intake stations will be located at the four Supervisor of Elections offices.

• Ballots can be accepted at the main office at 240 S. Military Trail in West Palm Beach between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Aug. 8 to Aug. 22, and between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Aug. 23.

• At the satellite offices in Palm Beach Gardens, Delray Beach and Belle Glade, the hours are between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Aug. 8 to Aug. 12 and Aug. 15 to Aug. 22. On election day, the hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. Drop a line at hmorse@pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter @mannahhorse.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County August primary election to feature appointment system