Sample ballots available on the elections office website
The voter registration deadline for the May 9 municipal elections is Monday, April 10, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner is reminding citizens in the Cities of North Port and Sarasota.
Additionally, sample ballots for those elections have been made available online, Turner announced on March 28.
New voter registration applications must be completed, signed and returned in person or by mail by the April 10 deadline, a news release stresses.
Applications are available at all three elections offices in Sarasota, Venice and North Port, at public libraries, military recruitment offices, and public assistance offices, the release says, and they may be downloaded at www.SarasotaVotes.com. An application also may be submitted through any driver’s license or tax collector’s office that issues Florida driver licenses or Florida ID cards, the release notes.
Voters who have moved or changed names, or those who need to update their signatures since the last election, also may complete a voter registration application to update their records, the release adds. Signature updates must be received by the elections office prior to the start of the canvass of vote-by-mail ballots, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2. Address and name changes may be made any time prior to voting, the release points out.
After an application has been processed and approved, the elections office will notify the voter of his/her eligibility by sending a Voter Information Card that includes the voter’s precinct and other important voting information, the release explains.
Regarding sample ballots: Registered voters who reside in the cities of North Port and Sarasota may go to www.SarasotaVotes.com and select the “Online Sample Ballots” link or choose the “Precinct Finder” icon at the top of the home page, and follow the easy instructions to view their respective sample ballots, the news release notes.
Turner encourages voters to study their sample ballots and familiarize themselves with the candidates prior to voting. “Ballots may be printed from the website, premarked and taken to the polls to use as a guide when marking the official ballot,” the release adds.
Anyone needing assistance may call the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office at 861-8619.