FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mail Ballots Sent for the November 16, 2021
City of Gainesville Special Election
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (October 13, 2021) — Almost 20,000 domestic vote-by-mail ballots were mailed this week for the 2021 City of Gainesville Special Election. Over 450 UOCAVA ballots were sent by mail or email to military and overseas voters this week as well.
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 20. Any voter who does not receive their vote-by-mail ballot by then should contact the elections office at 352-374-5252 or email votebymail@alachuacounty.us.
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for this election is 5 p.m. Saturday, November 6. Vote-by-mail ballot requests can be made by visiting VoteAlachua.com, by calling 352-374-5252, by mail, or in-person at the Supervisor of Elections office. Requests must be made by the voter or an immediate family member, and must include the voter's date of birth and Florida driver's license number or Florida ID card number, or last four digits of social security number. Until the deadline, vote-by-mail ballot requests will be filled as they are received. Any voter can sign up to vote by mail.
The Supervisor of Elections must receive vote-by-mail ballots by 7 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, November 16). Voters who vote by mail are encouraged to have their completed ballots mailed no later than a week prior to Election Day, 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 office 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 office and provided the opportunity to correct the ballot. According to Florida Statutes, voters have until 5 p.m. Thursday, November 18, 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, November 7, 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., 3rd Floor during normal business hours — 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Mail-in ballot drop boxes will be available at the Alachua Supervisor of Elections office and at Millhopper Branch Library during early voting starting Friday, November 12 through Sunday, November 14 from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Once early voting has ended, the mail-in drop box will only be available at the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office during the following days and times:
- Monday, November 15 from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (office hours)
- Tuesday, November 16 (Election Day) from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (drop box will be available during the same hours as voting at the precincts)
The mail-in ballot drop box at the Millhopper Branch Library will not be available after early voting has ended on Sunday, November 14 at 6 p.m.
For more information, contact the Supervisor of Elections office at 352-374-5252.
