Requests for ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24
On Sept. 24, the Sarasota County elections office sent out 132,796 vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 3 General Election, with approximately 7,600 more to follow on Sept. 25, the office announced.
The ballots are going to domestic voters who have requests on file, Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner said in a news release.
“Following these initial mailings, vote-by-mail ballot requests will be processed, and ballots mailed daily, as needed,” the release points out.
“A request for a ballot to be mailed to a voter must be received by the elections office by 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 24 to allow enough time for the ballot to reach the voter and be returned to the elections office in time to be counted,” the release emphasizes. A request may be submitted online at SarasotaVotes.com/VoteByMail or by calling 941-861-8618.
“Turner urges voters who choose to vote by mail to request and return their ballots promptly,” the release points out.
“Voted ballots must be received in the elections office by 7 p.m. on election night” [Nov. 3] to be counted,” Turner said in the release [again, with emphasis in the release]. “You can return your ballot in person or by mail, but please be mindful of the deadlines and request and return promptly,” Turner added.
Voters may return their ballots by mail or in person to secure drop boxes located inside all three elections offices — in Sarasota, North Port or Venice — during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and until 7 p.m. on election night, Nov. 3), the release notes.
Turner reminds voters to follow the instructions included with vote-by-mail ballots to ensure their ballots are counted, and to complete and sign the Voter’s Certificate on the ballot return envelope. “The voter’s signature should match the signature on record in the Florida Voter Registration System to be counted,” the release says.
Voters may track their vote-by-mail ballots at SarasotaVotes.com from the time a request for a ballot is processed until the voted ballot has been received in the elections office and tabulated, the release adds. To track a ballot, click on the “Vote by Mail” icon on the homepage, select “Track your Vote-by-Mail Ballot,” “and follow the easy instructions,” the release says.
For more information, voters may contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 941-861-8619 or visit SarasotaVotes.com.