A bill filed by Rep. Berny Jacques would make wide-ranging changes to Florida’s voter registration, identification and vote-by-mail procedures if it passes the Legislature.
House Bill 985 proposes new citizenship verification requirements for voter registration and voting, while also revising how non-citizens are identified on Florida driver licenses and state ID cards. If approved, the bill would take effect July 1, 2026, as specified in the legislation.
Under the proposal, voters who register using a Florida driver’s license number, Florida identification card or the last four digits of a social security number would have their citizenship verified through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or the federal SAVE database. If citizenship cannot be verified through those systems, the applicant would be required to provide proof.
Applicants whose citizenship cannot be verified by the registration deadline would still be allowed to cast a provisional ballot. That ballot would only be counted if proof of citizenship is provided during the canvassing period.
The bill also expands referrals to the Office of Election Crimes and Security. Any voter registration application found to contain a false affirmation would be required to be referred to the office for review.
Another provision would treat the issuance of a driver license in another state as a written request to be removed from Florida’s voter rolls. If state records show that a registered voter has obtained an out-of-state license, supervisors of elections would be required to begin the removal process.
HB 985 would also change identification requirements at polling places. Voters who registered using a Florida identification card would be required to present that same ID when voting in person. If the identification presented designates the voter as a non-citizen, the voter would be permitted to cast a provisional ballot, subject to verification during canvassing.
Vote-by-mail procedures would also be affected. Supervisors of elections would be required to verify a voter’s address, citizenship status and whether a Florida identification card had been surrendered due to the issuance of an out-of-state license before issuing a mail ballot to voters who registered using a Florida ID card.
In addition, the bill would require Florida driver licenses and state identification cards issued to non-U.S. citizens to display “NC” on the front of the card. The legislation outlines which documents would be used to determine non-citizen status for that designation.
If enacted, HB 985 would represent one of the more comprehensive revisions to Florida’s voter eligibility and verification framework in recent years, affecting voter registration, in-person voting, mail voting and state-issued identification.