If you voted by mail, you’ll want to check the status of your ballot to make sure your vote will count this year.
Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, advised voters to track their ballot on their local Supervisor of Elections website.
"It's really easy to track your vote-by-mail ballot online and if there is any problem with the signature on your vote-by-mail ballot, there will be an alert in that online system,” Keith said.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan social welfare group working to support America’s democracy, according to its website.
Keith said the most common issue is mail-in ballots arriving late. The Supervisor of Elections office has to receive all ballots by 7 p.m. Nov. 5. If it arrives late, it isn’t counted.
As of Thursday morning, around 2.5 million mail-in ballots had already been received in Florida. Another million have been sent out but not yet returned.
Keith said it’s best to submit a mail-in ballot in person this close to the election.
“Again, there is no cure if you get your ballot in late,” she said.
There is also no cure for when two people mail their ballots in one envelope, she said. Florida Statute 101.68c states “these votes may not be counted.”
“So, it’s really important that voters are conscientious about putting their vote-by-mail ballot in their vote-by-mail envelope,” she said.
One common issue that is fixable is a missing or mismatched signature, Keith said.
She said people frequently just forget to sign their ballot before they mail it in or the signature doesn’t match the one on file.
To fix, or “cure,” these issues, you’ll need to provide evidence the ballot is indeed yours. The canvassing board has specific guidelines to follow when helping you resolve these issues.
While the Supervisor of Elections is required to notify you of problems by mail, there is often not enough time to make changes after Election Day, Keith said. She said if you have a phone number or email address on file with the office, they will be able to contact you that way.
The deadline to make these changes is 5 p.m. Nov. 7 – two days after Election Day.
