Oct. 5 the deadline for voter registration to participate in Nov. 3 General Election

Voters also encouraged to check their registration information, to ensure that it is current

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner. File photo

Monday, Oct. 5, will be the last day to apply for voter registration to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 3 General Election, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner is notifying county residents.

Before that Oct. 5 deadline, Turner recommends that voters confirm whether they are registered to vote and that their voter registration information is current, a news release says. A voter may check his or her voter eligibility at SarasotaVotes.com. Just click on “Voter Information” in the main menu and then on “Voter Lookup” “and follow the easy instructions,” the release notes.

“New paper voter registration applications must be completed, signed and returned in person to an elections office or be postmarked by the October 5 deadline,” the release emphasizes. All three elections offices — in Sarasota, Venice and North Port — will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 5, the release points out.

Applications also may be submitted electronically, before midnight Oct. 5, through RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov, the release adds.

Any voter whose signature has changed since the last election, or any voter who has moved or changed his or her name, also may update his or her record by completing a voter registration application.

Turner reminds voters who plan to cast ballots by mail “that the signature on file in the Florida Voter Registration System at the time their ballots are received in the elections office is the one that will be used to verify the signature on the Voter’s Certificate on the ballot return envelope,” the release says. Address changes within Florida and name changes may be made at any time prior to voting, the release adds.

Voter registration applications are available at all three elections offices, in Sarasota, Venice and North Port; and at public libraries, military recruitment offices, and public assistance offices, the release notes. They also may be downloaded at SarasotaVotes.com.

Further, applications may be submitted through any driver license or tax collector’s office that issues Florida driver licenses or Florida ID cards, the release points out.

For more information or assistance, voters may call the Supervisor of Elections Office at 941-861-8619 or visit the website, www.sarasotavotes.com.