Why sign up for a mail ballot?
If you vote with a mail ballot, you can know your vote is counted -- before Election Day
- Submitting a mail ballot eliminates the risk that an illness, injury, or other unexpected event will prevent you from voting in person on Election Day.
- You can deliver your mail ballot in person to a Supervisor of Elections office up until 7pm on Election Day (click HERE for Supervisor of Elections office locations and opening hours; note that there are extended hours during election season). You can also deliver it in person at other ballot drop locations at specified dates and hours (click HERE for a list of drop box locations and opening times). Or you can mail it using the postage prepaid envelope (be sure to mail it at least one week before Election Day).
- Once you've submitted your mail ballot, you can track its progress, and see that your vote has counted. Here's how to check your ballot's status: check registration and mail ballot status.
- The Supervisor of Elections begins counting mail ballots several weeks before Election Day,
- If there is a problem with your signature, the Supervisor's office will contact you. (You should include your email address and phone number when you submit your ballot, so that the Supervisor's office can reach you quickly.) If your vote is showing as counted, you'll know that your signature was accepted.
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Voting with a mail ballot is convenient
- You’ll receive your ballot about a month before Election Day, so you can vote on your schedule.
- You can avoid lines and crowds at your polling place (especially important if you're immunocompromised or concerned about the health risks of a crowd).
- You can return your ballot in the postage prepaid envelope (you should mail it at least a week before Election Day). Or you may deliver it in person to a Supervisor of Elections office up until 7pm on Election Day (click HERE for Supervisor of Elections office locations and opening hours; note that there are extended hours during election season). You can also deliver it in person at other ballot drop locations at specified dates and hours (click HERE for a list of drop box locations and opening times).
- You can still vote in person on Election Day, if you choose, as long as you haven't already submitted your mail ballot. It's best to bring your mail ballot with you and exchange it for your in-person ballot (which will look exactly like your mail ballot). If you don't bring your mail ballot to the polls, then before allowing you to vote the poll workers will look up your voter file to confirm that you haven't submitted your mail ballot.
- You don't need a special reason to use a mail ballot; all Florida voters are eligible to sign up to vote by mail.
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Signing up for a mail ballot increases turnout
- Even if you prefer to vote in person on Election Day, you should request a mail ballot so that you can be sure an unexpected event doesn't prevent you from voting.
- You'll get your ballot about a month before Election Day, so you'll have time to research the candidates and ballot issues and will be able to cast an informed vote for the down ballot races.
- If you vote by mail you can submit your ballot at the start of the election cycle, which is critical to our success. If our voters vote early we can devote attention to less engaged voters, who typically don't become engaged until right before Election Day.
- Signing up to vote by mail greatly increases the chance that you will vote! In the March 2024 Pinellas municipal elections, turnout for voters who were not signed up to vote by mail was 12%, and turnout for voters who were signed up to vote by mail was 61%. Even in general elections, turnout for mail ballot voters is routinely well over 20 percentage points higher than for people who are not signed up to vote by mail.
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