Nearly one million voters have been wiped from Florida’s voter registration rolls in the past year, leading to speculation over how that will effect the 2024 election. 

As of November 30, the number of active registered voters in the Sunshine State decreased by 996,676 voters from 2022 to 2023, according to data from the Florida Department of State.

The active registered voters with the Florida Democratic Party fell by 467,337 voters or nearly 10 percent. The active registered voters with the Republican Part of Florida decreased by 153,369 or approximately three percent.

The overall number of voters purged from the rolls is likely to increase after Decembers data is collected, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, due to routine list maintenance.

However, the decline in registered voters is concerning to some heading into this years election season as people brace for a highly contentious presidential race and hot-button issues like abortion are expected to be on the state ballot.

The number of active registered voters in the Sunshine State has decreased by nearly 1 million from 2022 to 2023. Pictured two women have a voter registration booth setup on St. Augustine Beach in Florida in 2020

Broward County, the state’s second largest county, had 1.3 million total registered voters from November 2022 through November 2023, then dropped to 1.1 million in December, according to data from the Broward County Supervisors of Elections.

In Palm Beach County, supervisor of elections data shows they went from 946,189 total registered voters in September to 847,617 in October.

The drop-off in voters seems to becoming from routine registration list maintenance conducted by each county elections supervisor, which is required by the state.

Florida state law says, ‘The supervisor must conduct a general registration list maintenance program to protect the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring the maintenance of accurate and current voter registration records in the statewide voter registration system.’ 

‘A registration list maintenance program must be conducted by each supervisor, at a minimum, once each year, beginning no later than April 1, and must be completed at least 90 days before the date of any federal election.’

In 2023, the state legislature enacted new laws that is likely behind the large jump in numbers.

Supervisors are required to send notices to voters who have not participated in the last two general elections. If those voters do not respond, they get moved to the inactive list.

‘You need to do something to let us know that you’re still here and that you intend to continue participating and continue voting. You will get re-active,’ said Broward Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott.  

‘This group of folks will basically become ineligible if they do not participate in anything between now and December of 2026, that’s when they will become ineligible. They’ve got the ’24 (election) cycle and the ’26 cycle.’  

A ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion rights in the Florida constitution reached the necessary number of verified signatures to qualify for the 2024 ballot.

The drop-off in voters seems to becoming from routine registration list that moves people who have not voted in the past two elections to inactive status. Pictured voters line up to cast their ballot in Palm Harbor, Florida on October 27, 2020

The decline in registered voters is concerning to some heading into the 2024 election season. Pictured generic polling place

One TikTok user speculated the voter roll purge in the state could be connected to preventing that ballot initiative from being passed. 

In April, Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis signed a law banning abortions six weeks into pregnancies in the Sunshine State.

‘It’s because they know Florida women are about to put abortion rights on the constitution in 2024 here in the state of Florida,’ said the TikTok user Chasing Oz.

Fact checking organization PolitiFact said, ‘County election officials must follow state law to remove voters from the active list, and voters on the inactive list are teed up for removal years later.’

‘A question could be placed on the November ballot to protect abortion rights, but there is no evidence that this influenced election officials who were updating voter rolls.’