Mail-In Ballots

A new Florida elections law now requires you to register to vote-by-mail every two years rather than every four years.

Primary elections are around the corner, and if you plan to mail in your vote, officials say you'll need to request a ballot. Recent legislation wiped out all vote-by-mail requests made before the 2022 general election.

County election supervisors say the new restrictions will create significant election reporting delays and a slew of costs for local election offices, and could disenfranchise large numbers of voters.

The state legislature passed a law in 2021 that limits mail-in ballots to one per election cycle.

Several local contests and a few congressional and state house races are expected to close, perhaps requiring recounts or legal challenges.

A forecasted storm could further complicate things at the polls on election day.

More than more than 15,000 vote-by-mail ballots statewide have been flagged for having a mismatched signature or no signature at all.

WUSF is answering the questions that you have ahead of the Nov. 8 general election as part of America Amplified, a partnership with public media newsrooms across the country.

Early voting opens Monday in counties across the area, with the deadline to request a mail-in ballot on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner said all nine early-voting sites will be open Oct. 24, though not all regular polling places will be open by the Nov. 8 general election.

Election officials in Florida say they are meeting a Thursday deadline to send out mail ballots, despite the hurricane. But in-person voting sites remain a concern.

Sarasota County had among the highest turnout in the state.