Supervisor of elections offers vote-by-mail option for 2020 primary and general elections

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Persons may make requests online or by phone

The Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office’s website homepage features a ‘vote by mail’ icon. Image courtesy of the Supervisor of Election’s Office

Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner is reminding Sarasota County voters that, as an alternative to going to the polls, the vote-by-mail option is available for all registered voters for both the Aug. 18 Primary and the Nov. 3 General elections.

“Voting by mail, which began in Florida in 2002 as no-excuse absentee voting, is a safe and convenient alternative to in-person voting and is available to all voters,” Turner said in a news release.

A request for a vote-by-mail ballot may be submitted by phone to 861-8618 or online at SarasotaVotes.com/VoteByMail. A vote-by-mail ballot may be requested for a specific election or for all available elections through 2022, the release points out. A voter who would like a ballot mailed to him or her for the Aug. 18 primary must make the request no later than 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8, the release says.

Voted ballots may be returned by mail or in person, but they must reach one of the following three Supervisor of Elections offices by 7 p.m. on election night, the release emphasizes:

  • Sarasota County Terrace Building, located at 2001 Adams Lane in downtown Sarasota.
  • R.L. Anderson Administration Building, located at 4000 Tamiami Trail S. in Venice.
  • Biscayne Plaza, located at 13640 Tamiami Trail in North Port.

Voted ballots also may be dropped into secure vote-by-mail drop boxes located inside all Elections offices during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and until 7 p.m. on Election Night).

In addition, during the early voting period — from Saturday, Aug. 8, through Sunday, Aug. 16, between the daily hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. — voted ballots may be deposited in secure drop boxes inside all early voting locations, which include the three elections offices listed above, as well as Sarasota Square Mall, located at 8201 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota; and the Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library, located at 2801 Newtown Blvd. in Sarasota.

For more information, contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 861-8618 or visit SarasotaVotes.com.