Gov. DeSantis poised to sign bill requiring voters prove citizenship to register to vote

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is poised to sign a bill passed by the state legislature that would mandate voters show proof of citizenship to vote in elections.

Sponsors of the Florida Legislature’s bill say it will bring an increased measure of security to the state’s election process.

“We can and must continue to lead in Florida as the gold standard in election integrity,” said Republican State Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka

“Anything that we can do to establish greater trust and integrity in our systems, we should,” said Republican State Senator Erin Grall.

Now that the bill has garnered enough support in the state legislature, it heads to Gov. DeSantis’ desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

Once it has been signed into law, it would go into effect starting in January 2027.

After that point, registration requirements for voters will change, as well as the IDs that will be accepted at polling locations when voters go to cast their ballots.

“I think the best thing for people to do if they have not already, I would encourage everybody to get their Real ID,” said Broward Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott.

The Real ID is the updated driver’s licenses which feature a gold star in the top-right corner. To obtain a Real ID, Floridians will need to show proof of citizenship and residency.

A list of those requirements is available on the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles’ website here.

Voters who already have a Real ID will be able to register to vote and use their driver’s license as proof of citizenship at polling places.

“You go to dhsmv.gov, you get your Real ID, you get registered to vote, you get everything taken care of right there,” said Scott.

As for registering to vote without a Real ID, residents will need to provide proof of citizenship to their supervisor of elections.

A list of valid documents include:

• Original or certified birth certificate
• Valid U.S. passport
• Department of Homeland Security-issued naturalization certificate
• Department of State report of birth abroad
• Florida license that indicates citizenship
• Federal court order granting citizenship

If your name doesn’t match what appears on any of those documents due to marriage or other version of your name, documentation of those changes will be necessary as well.

“You basically have to prove your citizenship before you ever become a registered voter to begin with,” said Scott.

Those aren’t the only changes made in the bill.

Once voters arrive to polling places next year, certain IDs that used to be valid in years past will no longer be accepted.

“Student IDs, retirement community IDs, there were certain IDs that were available in the past that won’t be available in the future,” said Scott.

Starting next year, the only valid IDs will consist of the Real ID Florida driver’s license, a Florida State ID, a U.S. uniformed services ID, a concealed weapons permit or a veteran’s health ID card issued by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

The changes to disallow student IDs and retirement community IDs was harshly criticized by opponents of the bill, arguing the bill doesn’t seek to address election security, but rather would make it harder for citizens vote.

“We are intentionally making it harder for students to vote and there’s no way you can sugarcoat that. That’s just what the intention is, especially when there’s been no clear evidence of fraud taking place in that arena,” said Democrat State Rep. Anna Eskamani.

“Election integrity does matter to all of us here, we all can agree upon that. But protecting elections should never come at the cost of constitutional voting rights,” said Democrat State Rep. Jervonte Edmonds.

The first time of these likely new rules will face a trial run will come early in 2027, while the biggest test won’t happen until the following year.

“The first election that we will test this will be March of 2027, when we have municipal elections. I would say November of 2028, when we’re really going to have the biggest bulk of the public participating in probably having a lot of people who are not aware of how this law has changed,” said Scott.

For anybody with questions or concerns about their voting status, they can find out more information from their supervisor of elections.

Gov. DeSantis has suggested he plans to sign the proposed election bill into law.