Can you still request a mail ballot in South Florida? Deadline to return? What to know
The time to request a mail ballot is running out.
Here’s what to know in South Florida:
What’s the deadline to get a vote-by-mail ballot?
▪ Your request for a mail ballot must be received by your county’s election department by 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24.
How can I get a mail ballot?
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: The Miami-Dade Elections Department offers several ways to request a vote-by-mail ballot form. The fastest way is to request one online or call.
▪ Online: The county has an online portal to request a ballot.
▪ Phone: Call 305-499-8444
▪ Email: votebymail@miamidade.gov.
BROWARD COUNTY: The process to request a ballot in Broward is similar.
▪ Online: Broward has an online portal to request a vote-by-mail ballot.
▪ Phone:. Call 954-357-7055.
▪ Email: votebymailrequest@browardvotes.gov.
MONROE COUNTY: The Florida Keys elections office offers an online portal at www.keyselections.org to help you receive a mail-in ballot and other voting questions.
What will I need to request a mail-in ballot?
▪ You will need one of three identifiers to register for a ballot: a driver’s license number, state-issued ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
What are some tips when filling out my ballot?
A vote-by-mail ballot comes with instructions on how to correctly fill it out and mail it back to the elections office.
But here are some key tips given by the Miami-Dade and the Broward elections departments:
▪ Complete and return the vote-by-mail ballot as soon as possible. Don’t risk having it arrive, or not, by the deadline.
▪ Mark your ballot in secret
▪ Use a black or blue ballpoint pen to complete your ballot
▪ Sign your name inside the red signature box on the back of the Voter’s Certificate envelope.
▪ Florida law doesn’t require a witness to complete a ballot certificate.
What is the deadline for returning a ballot?
The vote-by-mail ballot must be received by your local elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5.
You can’t drop your a ballot off at your designated voting precinct on Election Day. If you wait until Election Day to return it, it can only be submitted at your county’s elections office.
▪ Miami-Dade: Return it by mail to Vote-by-Mail Ballot Section, Supervisor of Elections, P.O. Box 521250, Miami, FL 33152. The Elections Department must receive the ballot before 7 p.m. Election Day.
The ballot can also be turned in at any early voting location during operating hours — there are drop boxes so you don’t have to stand in line — or dropped off at the Miami-Dade Elections Department, 2700 NW 87th Ave. in Doral, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
▪ Broward: Return it by mail to P.O. Box 29001, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33302. I tmust be received before 7 p.m. Election Day.
Ballots can also be turned in to early voting locations and to the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, at 1501 NW 40th Ave. in Lauderhill.
