FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2020 General Election vote-by-mail ballots mailed
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. (September 25, 2020) — More than 60,000 vote-by-mail ballots for the 2020 General Election are being mailed to Alachua County voters.
Voters who signed up to receive a vote-by-mail ballot should expect to receive their ballots, which will arrive in a pink envelope, no later than October 10. The majority of domestic vote-by-mail ballots were mailed yesterday, while overseas ballots were mailed on September 17. Any voter who does not receive their vote-by-mail ballot by October 10 should contact the elections office at 352-374-5252 or email votebymail@alachuacounty.us.
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m. Saturday, October 24. Vote-by-mail ballots can be requested online, in person, or by phone, fax, mail or email. Until the deadline, vote-by-mail ballot requests will be filled as they are received. Any registered voter can sign up to vote by mail.
The Supervisor of Elections must receive domestic vote-by-mail ballots by 7 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, November 3). Voters who vote by mail are encouraged to have their completed ballots mailed before Tuesday, October 27, to ensure ballots arrive at the Supervisor of Elections Office by the deadline. Voters should also make sure that their voter information and signature are updated before they return their ballot if they have moved or their signature has changed.
Additionally, voters are encouraged to be alert when filling out and mailing a vote-by-mail ballot. Advice from the Supervisor of Elections includes:
- Completely color in the oval next to your choice on your ballot — do not circle or mark an “X” over the oval.
- If you make a mistake on your ballot, call the Supervisor of Elections at 352-374-5252.
- Be sure to sign your own mail ballot certificate envelope.
- Return your mail ballot in the official envelope provided. Return postage is prepaid.
Any voter who does not sign their ballot or whose signature on the vote-by-mail ballot certificate does not compare to the signature in their voter record will be contacted by the Supervisor of Elections and provided the opportunity to correct the ballot. According to Florida Statutes 101.68(4)(b), voters have until 5 p.m. Thursday, November 5, to complete an affidavit to correct a vote-by-mail ballot that does not have a signature or has a signature that does not match the person’s voter record signature.
Starting Sunday, October 25, voters may authorize another person to pick up a vote-by-mail ballot from the Supervisor of Elections Office. A designee must have a note signed by the voter and a picture ID. They must also complete an affidavit, which is available online at https://dos.myflorida.com/media/701775/dsde37.pdf. Designees may not pick up more than two mail ballots per election, excluding their own ballot and ballots for their immediate family.
Voters can drop off completed vote-by-mail ballots at the Supervisor of Elections office, located in Gainesville at 515 N. Main St., during normal business hours — 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday — or can use the secure, white afterhours drop-box located outside of the office’s main entrance. The drop-box is open 24/7. Voters have until 7 p.m. on Election Day (November 3) to deliver vote-by-mail ballots to the Supervisor of Elections.
Additionally, drop boxes are available at all early voting sites during early voting hours. Early voting will take place from October 19 to October 31, with locations open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. A list of early voting locations is available at VoteAlachua.com.
Voters cannot turn in mail ballots at polling places on Election Day.
For more information, contact the Supervisor of Elections at 352-374-5252.
