Vote By Mail

Per Florida law (101.62, Fla. Stat.), vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot requests are valid for all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election. Vote-by-mail requests made prior to the November 8, 2022 General Election have expired. Select one of the options below to submit a vote-by-mail request for elections through 2024.

 

Requesting Your Ballot

There are several ways to request a vote-by-mail ballot:

The supervisor of elections will accept a written, in-person, or telephone request for a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed to a voter's address on file in the Florida Voter Registration System from the elector, or if directly designated by the elector, a member of the elector's immediate family or legal guardian. Immediate family includes spouse, parent, child, grandparent or sibling of elector or elector's spouse. 

If requesting a ballot be mailed to an address other than the voter's address on file, the request must be made in writing. A written request must be signed by the voter and include the voter's Florida driver license number or Florida ID card number or the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number. 

If requesting a vote-by-mail ballot in writing for someone other than yourself, you must also provide your name, address, your relationship to the voter, your driver license or ID card number, the last four digits of your social security number, if available, and your signature, as well as the voter’s name, address, date of birth, Florida driver license number or ID card number or the last four digits of the voter's social security number, and the address to which the ballot is to be mailed.

A designee also may pick up a vote-by-mail ballot for a voter from the supervisor of elections office beginning nine days before election day but may pick up only two ballots per election, other than his or her own ballot or ballots for members of his or her immediate family. Designees must have written authorization from the voter, present a photo ID and sign an affidavit (English/Spanish).

All requests for a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed to a voter must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 10th day before the election to allow ample time for mailing and return of ballot. 

Important: Vote-by-mail ballots cannot be forwarded so be sure we have your correct mailing address on file. Even if the post office forwards your mail to your summer address, they will not forward vote-by-mail ballots. 

 

Returning Your Ballot

The voter must sign the voter certificate on the ballot return envelope and return the ballot promptly so that it reaches our office no later than 7 p.m. on election day.  Note: In the event there is an issue with a signature on the certificate, elections staff will try to contact the voter. Therefore, we have provided space on the return ballot envelope for a voter to voluntarily provide his or her email address, and phone number(s). A vote-by-mail ballot will NOT be rejected solely due to the absence of this requested contact information. If you return your ballot without signing the ballot certificate or are notified by us that your signature on the certificate does not match your signature on file with the elections office, you will need to complete and return a vote-by-mail cure affidavit (English / Spanish) to the elections office by 5 p.m. on the second day following the election. Please follow the instructions on the form carefully, as failure to do so may cause your ballot not to count.

You may return your vote-by-mail ballot by mail or in person. If you plan to mail, please allow at least a week for your ballot to reach our office. You may also return your ballot in person to a secure ballot intake station at any of our three elections offices or at an early voting location during hours of operation. Ballot intake station locations and early voting dates and hours will be posted on this website prior to each election. To track your vote-by-mail ballot from the time your request is processed until the voted ballot is received back in the elections office, or to sign up for vote-by-mail ballot notifications and check for status updates, select a link below:

TRACK YOUR VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT

SIGN UP FOR (OR UPDATE) VOTE-BY-MAIL NOTIFICATIONS

Ron Turner, Supervisor of Elections, Sarasota County
EMAIL: rturner@sarasotavotes.gov • OFFICE HOURS: M-F, 8:30 AM - 5 PM • MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 4194 Sarasota, FL 34230-4194
SARASOTA OFFICE
Terrace Building
101 S. Washington Blvd.
Sarasota, FL 34236

PHONE: (941) 861-8600
FAX: (941) 861-8609
ESPAÑOL: (833) 912-1316

VENICE OFFICE
Robert L. Anderson Administration Center
4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Rm 114
Venice, FL 34293

PHONE: (941) 861-3760
FAX: (941) 861-3770
ESPAÑOL: (833) 912-1316

NORTH PORT OFFICE
Biscayne Plaza
13640 Tamiami Trail
North Port, FL 34287

PHONE: (941) 423-9540
FAX: (941) 423-9256
ESPAÑOL: (833) 912-1316

PLEASE NOTE: Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing. Florida Statute 668.6076.