The Supervisor of Elections Office is reminding the public about ways to facilitate voting in the March 15 primary and the Nov. 8 General Election
The Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office will begin mailing vote-by-mail (absentee) ballots for the March 15 Presidential Preference Primary to overseas military and civilian voters on Jan. 29, Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent announced this week.
Ballots to stateside voters will be mailed beginning Feb. 9, a news release says.
The Presidential Preference Primary is held the third Tuesday in March for voters in the two major political parties to select their nominees for the General Election, which is scheduled for Nov. 8, the release points out.
To request a vote-by-mail ballot, a voter may call 861-8618, email absentee@SarasotaVotes.com or submit an online request from the Supervisor of Elections website at www.SarasotaVotes.com.
Requests for ballots to be mailed must be received by the Elections Office no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, the release notes. To be counted, voted absentee ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day, the release adds, stressing that none of those ballots may be left at an early voting site or precinct.
With the exception of uniformed service and civilian voters living overseas, a voter who would like to have a ballot mailed to an address other than the one on file in the Florida Voter Registration System must submit a signed written request to the Elections Office, the release points out.
Dent reminds voters that the signature on the absentee ballot certificate must match the voter’s signature on file in the Elections Office for the ballot to be counted. A voter may update his or her signature by submitting a Florida Voter Registration Application to the Supervisor of Elections Office, the release says. Signature updates must be received prior to the start of the absentee ballot canvass, which will be Friday, March 4, the release notes.