Early voting for the primary election in Florida starts on August 10th! Because our petitions need to be filled out by registered voters, meeting people outside of their polling places is a great opportunity to get the signatures that we need to see Medicaid expansion on the ballot in 2026!
You can help by collecting petitions at an early vote location or Election Day polling place near you!
If you are able to help collect petitions at the polls between August 10th th and Primary Election Day (August 20th) please see the instructions below.
If you would like help getting started and/or finding a polling place or early vote location near you, please sign-up to get involved.
If you are unable to help collect petitions at this time but still want to help, you can always support our efforts to expand Medicaid in Florida by donating to Florida Decides Healthcare.
Once you are ready to go, please be sure to read the instructions below before heading out to collect petition signatures.
Medicaid Expansion Volunteer Petition Collection Instructions
SPECIFIC RULES FOR COLLECTING PETITIONS AT POLLING LOCATIONS
- Florida law mandates that you must maintain a distance of 150 feet from the entrance of the polling location at all times when collecting signatures for a ballot initiative. (F.S. 102.031) This distance should be clearly marked at each location.
- Please follow all instructions issued to you by elections officials while at a polling location.
RULES FOR PETITION COLLECTION
- All petitions must be filled out by voters who are registered in the state of Florida.
- Best practice is to fill out petitions in blue or black ink.
- All petitions should be checked to ensure that all information is filled out, and that the information is legible.
- Ripped, damaged, or illegible petitions are not accepted by the Supervisor of Elections.
If you have any questions about this procedure please contact our Organizing Director at kofi@floridadecideshealthcare.org
RETURNING SIGNED PETITIONS
- All petitions should be submitted to Florida Decides Healthcare, your organization or your closest Regional Hub within a week so that they can be reviewed for quality control. When you are done collecting petitions, please return the signed petitions to your organization or to Florida Decides Healthcare.
- Please submit petitions with our petition intake cover sheet. You can download and print copies of the cover sheet using the link below.
- Please mail completed petitions to:
Florida Decides Healthcare
Post Office Box 10829 Tallahassee, FL 32302
REMEMBER
- Be Polite & Respect Personal Space. No need to chase people down or block their paths.
- Keep it Simple. No need to debate or have all the answers. People don’t need to understand the issue fully or agree with us to support having a public conversation and a vote in 2024.
- Double Check for Completeness. We need signatures AND legible addresses.
- Gather petitions on public property whenever possible. If you are asked to leave private property, do so immediately and politely.
- It’s okay not to know. You may not have the answer to a question asked. That’s okay. Avoid giving misinformation at all costs. Stay on message and admit if you do not know something and offer to collect the individual’s information so that an organizer can follow up with an answer.
- Please return your petitions to your local organizer or mail to the campaign within one week
- Please don’t forget to include a cover sheet
- Petitions can be mailed to Florida Decides Healthcare, P.O. Box 10829 Tallahassee, FL 32302
Questions?
Please contact us at kofi@floridadecideshealthcare.org or jake@floridadecideshealthcare.org with any questions.