Register to vote soon or you’ll be out of luck come election day

The mid-term general election is Nov. 8 and eligible South Florida voters face a series of important decisions, from choosing new members of Congress to Florida’s governor and state lawmakers.

 Here’s what you need to know and key dates if you want to vote in November:

— If you haven’t registered, the clock is ticking. Oct. 11 is the last day you can register to vote. To do so, you must be 18 or older, a citizen of the U.S and resident of Florida. To register to vote you can click here or register in person at the Miami-Dade Election Department, 2700 NW 87 Ave.

– You can vote by mail, but to do so you must request a vote-by-mail ballot by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. The ballots must be  returned by election day, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. You can track your cast ballot by mail here.

– Early voting begins on Oct. 24 and ends Nov. 6. Here is an early voting schedule with locations.

– To vote in person on election day, you must go to your designated voting location from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and make sure to bring a valid photo ID with your signature. Your designated polling place probably will NOT be an early voting location, so check your voter card to make sure you are going to the right place. If you don’t, you will be turned away.

Janetssy Lugo is a student at Florida International University majoring in digital journalism. She loves reading, baking and listening to Bad Bunny. Working at a radio station is one of her goals as well as traveling the world.