Ballots may be mailed or returned in person to elections offices
Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner is reminding voters who choose to vote by mail in the Nov. 6 General Election to return their voted ballots as early as possible to avoid postal delays.
“Ballots must reach the elections office by 7 p.m. on election night to be counted,” a news release stresses.
Ballots may be returned by mail (apply 50 cents of postage or a Forever stamp) or in person to one of the three elections offices:
- Sarasota County Terrace Building, located at 2001 Adams Lane in Sarasota.
- R.L. Anderson Administration Building, located at 4000 Tamiami Trail S. in Venice.
- Biscayne Plaza, located at 13640 Tamiami Trail in North Port.
“Turner also noted that ballots may not be dropped off at a polling place on Election Day,” the release emphasizes.
Voters are urged to read and follow the instructions included with vote-by-mail ballots to ensure their ballots are counted, the release says. The voter must complete and sign the ballot certificate on the back of the vote-by-mail return envelope, and the signature should match the voter’s signature on record, the release adds.
A voter concerned about his or her signature being visible to the public may use a larger envelope for mailing, with the ballot and signed vote-by-mail ballot inside it, the Supervisor of Elections Office staff has reported.
Voters may track their vote-by-mail ballots at SarasotaVotes.com from the time their requests for ballots are processed until the voted ballots have been received by the elections office. “Just click on the ‘Vote by Mail’ icon on the home page, select ‘Track your Vote-by-Mail Ballot,’ and follow the easy instructions,” the release explains.
A vote-by-mail ballot request may be submitted online at SarasotaVotes.com or by calling 861-8618. A request for a ballot to be mailed to a voter must be received by the elections office no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 31, the release explains.
As of the morning of Oct. 19, the release noted, the elections office had mailed a total of 86,586 vote-by-mail ballots and received 31,126 back from voters.