Feb. 26 the deadline to request vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot be mailed to a voter

Ballots may be returned by mail or placed in secure drop boxes outside the three Supervisor of Elections offices in the county

The Supervisor of Elections Office homepage banner shows the ‘Vote by Mail’ icon, which citizens can click on for details about how to obtain such ballots and then how to track them. Image courtesy Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner

The deadline for a citizen to request a vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot to be mailed to the citizen is 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 26, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner is reminding voters who would like to participate by that means in the March 8 School District Referendum and County Charter Referendum.

“This deadline ensures enough time for the voter to receive and mark the ballot and return it so that it reaches the elections office in time to be counted,” Turner pointed out in a news release. “Voted ballots may be returned by mail or in person but must be received in the elections office by 7 p.m. election night to be counted,” he added in the release.

“The cost to return a ballot by mail for the March 8 referendums is one Forever stamp or $.58 postage,” the release adds with emphasis.

“Turner has installed secure vote-by-mail drop boxes inside each of the three elections offices,” which are located in Sarasota, Venice and North Port, for voters who prefer to return their ballots in person, the release points out. Drop box hours of operation at the elections offices are as follows:

  • Sarasota — now through Friday, Feb 25, weekdays only (Monday through Friday), 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Venice — Saturday, Feb 26, through Monday, March 7, daily, including weekends, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • North Port — Tuesday, March 8 (Election Day), 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In addition, a secure drop box will be inside the Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library early voting location, which stands at 2801 Newtown Blvd. in Sarasota (34234). That box will be available during early voting dates/times (Saturday, Feb 26, through Sunday, March 6, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily). (See the related article in this issue.)

For more information, contact the elections office at 941-861-8619 or visit SarasotaVotes.gov.