Is there something wrong with your ballot signature? What you can do to make it right
Don’t let a mismatched or missing signature be the reason your vote-by-mail ballot is not counted.
Election officials say one of the biggest problems they see is voters leaving the red signature box on the envelope blank.
“Very few get rejected because your signature doesn’t match,” said Steve Vancore, a spokesman for Broward Supervisor of Elections. “The real problem is people don’t sign the envelope.”
The box says “Voters must sign below.” But still people forget, officials say.
Just as bad for the voter is when the signature doesn’t match the one on file with the Elections Department.
Vancore said in the Aug. 18. primary, only seven ballots were rejected because of signatures not matching.
Roberto Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections, said there were 274 ballots rejected because of not matching signatures.
Both say that people need to understand no one can sign for you and that only signatures that are vastly different from the one on file are rejected.
“We highly recommend that all voters who vote-by-mail update their signature if they think it has changed,” Rodriguez said.
If a signature is missing, or does not match the one on file, elections departments will send a letter (or e-mail or call if that information is included on the envelope) to inform you that you need to fill out an affidavit that verifies that the signature is yours.
The affidavit must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections within two days after Election Day, Nov. 3.
On Thursday, Oct. 1, the Miami-Dade Elections Department mailed out more than 530,000 ballots that had been requested by voters.
How to update your signature and check if your ballot is counted
▪ Miami-Dade: To update a signature, download and print the voter registration application on the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections website. Forms can also be picked up at Miami-Dade libraries.
After filling the form and signing it, it can be brought to the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections anytime from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 2700 NW 87th Ave. in Doral.
It can also be mailed to the Supervisor of Elections, P.O. Box 521250, Doral, FL, 33152.
To check if your ballot has been accepted, there is a tool that allows you to plug in your information and check the status.
▪ Broward: To review or update your voter registration information, visit www.browardsoe.org/Voter-Information/Voter-Lookup-Free-Access-System. This system also allows you to check the status of your ballot and update your information.
▪ Monroe: Monroe registered voters can download the form on the Supervisor of Election’s website. The form can be mailed to Monroe-Supervisor of Elections, 530 Whitehead St. # 101, Key West FL 33040-6577. To check for the status of a ballot, visit www.keys-elections.org/m/Voters/My-Vote-by-Mail-Status.
▪ Palm Beach: The Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections encourages voters to keep their signature up to date.
“Your signature may change over time, so make sure we have your current signature on file,” the office said on its website.
In Palm Beach, voters can use an online voter registration application to update the information, and it will add the signature from your driver license or Florida ID card to your voter record.
For more information call 561-656-6200.
Or you can use a Florida Voter Registration Application to update your signature or identifying mark.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 6:37 AM.
