If you like voting by mail, make sure your mail-in ballot request is in on time or you may not be able to participate in the upcoming municipal elections.
Maryellen Gordon is the voter services co-chair for the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area.
She said you may never know what happens on Election Day — that's why she calls mail-in voting a good backup plan.
"What we mean by that is you can request your ballot to have it mailed to you," Gordon said. "If something happens on Election Day and you realize you can't get there, you can utilize that mail-in ballot."
A 2021 state law requires voters to request a mail-in ballot each election cycle (after a general election) rather than every four years as was previously allowed.
With municipal and special elections coming up in March, April, and May, now's the time to request your mail-in ballot.
Gordon said there is high voter burnout after last year's Presidential Election.
However, she reminds people to vote in these municipal and city elections.
"We really, really ask people to consider how important the local elections are in your life," Gordon said. "This is really the stuff that affects your everyday life the most. Are there potholes in your street? What's going on in your school board? How do you feel about flood mitigation?
"It's your local politicians and seat holders who control that."
So it's important, Gordon said, that people use their voice and their vote.
"This democracy thing doesn't work on its own, it needs people power to drive it," Gordon said.
Below is a list of counties with the following deadlines and dates for their municipal and special elections.
Pinellas County
Municipal Elections: March 11
Deadline to request a ballot be mailed: February 27
Deadline to register: February 10
Hillsborough County
Municipal Election (Plant City): April 8
Deadline to request a ballot be mailed: March 27
Deadline to register: March 10
Pasco County
Municipal Elections: April 8
Deadline to request a ballot be mailed: March 27
Deadline to register: March 10
Polk County
Municipal Elections: April 1
Deadline to request a ballot be mailed: March 20
Deadline to register: March 3
Sarasota County
General Election (Longboat Key): March 11
Deadline to request a ballot be mailed: February 27
Deadline to register: February 10
Special Election (North Port): May 13
Deadline to request a ballot be mailed: May 1
Deadline to register: April 14
Manatee County
Municipal Elections: March 11
Deadline to request a ballot be mailed: February 27
Deadline to register: February 10
The deadline to request a Vote By Mail ballot is 5 p.m. local time on the 12th day before the election.
