Vote-By-Mail
Overview
The information on this page applies to domestic voters. Please visit our Military and Overseas Citizens page for Vote-by-Mail information for military and overseas voters (also known as UOCAVA voters).
All voters in Florida have the option to Vote-by-Mail in each election. No excuse is needed to request and receive a Vote-by-Mail ballot. Please view our Vote-By-Mail FAQ for a summary, or read below for further information.
Requesting A Vote-By-Mail Ballot
You can request a Vote-by-Mail ballot in any of the following ways:
The deadline to request that a Vote-by-Mail ballot be mailed to you is 5:00 PM on the 10th day prior to Election Day. If you miss this deadline, you still have the option to pick up a Vote-by-Mail ballot up to and including Election Day.
Delivery Or Pick-Up Of Vote-By-Mail Ballot
Delivery
If you have a Vote-by-Mail ballot request on file, you should receive your Vote-by-Mail ballot in the mail about a month before Election Day. If you request a ballot after the first mail out, we will send your ballot within two business days of receiving your request.
Please note that Vote-by-Mail ballots cannot be forwarded by the Post Office, and instead will be returned to our office. Mail Ballots that are returned undeliverable to our office automatically cancel any pending Vote-by-Mail ballot requests.
Please make sure to update our office if there are any changes to your mailing address to ensure that the ballot is sent to the correct location. If you need to update your address, please visit our Update your Voter Registration page for further information.
UOCAVA voters have additional options and flexibility regarding the return of Vote-by-Mail ballots. Please visit our Military and Overseas Citizens page for further information.
Pick-up
You have the option to pick up your Vote-By-Mail ballot from our office starting 30 days before Election Day.
You can also designate a person to pick up a Vote-by-Mail ballot on your behalf. An authorized designee may pick up a ballot starting on the 9th day before Election Day. See the Affidavit to Pick-up a Mail Ballot for a Voter for further information.
On Election Day, in order to pick-up a vote-by-Mail ballot you or your designee must complete an Election Day Vote-by-Mail Ballot Delivery Affidavit. Please see the affidavit for further information.
Completing and Returning Your Ballot
Instructions are provided with the ballot. Please carefully follow the instructions to ensure that your ballot counts. Make sure to sign the certificate on the envelope and affix proper postage. The Vote-by-Mail ballot requires one First Class or Forever stamp to mail it to our office.
Your ballot must be received by our office no later than 7:00 PM on Election Day. To ensure that it is delivered by Election Day, the Post Office recommends that you mail your ballot at least five days in advance of Election Day.
Rather than returning the ballot through the mail, you also have the option to drop off your voted ballot at our office during business hours, or at drop boxes located at each Early Voting site during Early Voting hours.
Please note that Vote-by-Mail ballots are not allowed to be dropped off at precincts on Election Day. However, at your precinct you can choose to cancel your Vote-by-Mail ballot and vote a regular ballot.
UOCAVA voters have additional options and flexibility regarding the return of Vote-by-Mail ballots. Please visit our Military and Overseas Citizens page for further information.
Checking Your Ballot Status
Once a request for a Vote-by-Mail ballot has been processed, you can track the status of your ballot through the following link: Track My Ballot.
Vote-By-Mail Ballot Signature
In order to verify a voter's identify so we know the ballot is legitimate, the voter must sign the oath on the back of the Vote-by-Mail ballot envelope. That signature is compared to the signature we have on file in the voter registration database to determine authenticity.
Signature Update
We recommend you update your signature on file with our office every few years. If your signature has changed over time, you can update your signature by filling out, signing, and submitting a Florida Voter Registration Application to our office at any point before we receive your Vote-by-Mail ballot. We can accept these signature updates via mail, email, or fax.
Missing or Mismatched Signature
In the event that the signature for your Vote-by-Mail ballot is missing or does not match the signature we have on file in your voter record, our staff will attempt to contact you by mail, phone, and email to correct the signature issue. You will need to complete a Vote-by-Mail Ballot Cure Affidavit and send the form to our office along with a photocopy of an approved form of identification. The deadline to cure the missing or mismatched signature is 5:00 pm on the 2nd day after Election Day.