ISSUE / 10 / FEBRUARY 2024

The 2024 Presidential Preference Primary Early Voting begins Monday, March 4th at 7:00 a.m. and runs through March 17th. You can find the Early Voting locations in this newsletter. All registered Republicans in Charlotte County are eligible to vote either by mail, early, or on Election Day, March 19th. It is imperative to note that if you choose to vote on Election Day, you do so at your home polling location which can be found in this newsletter or our website (bit.ly/3GXBDxP).

If you are not eligible to vote in this Presidential Preference Primary, now is a great time to update your voter registration if your signature has changed or you have moved within Charlotte County. Being voter-ready is imperative to a seamless process.

Over 10,000 Vote-By-Mail ballots have been sent out and we have received, to date, over 5,500 for processing. We have created a FAQ to answer many questions about vote-by-mail procedures. By clicking here (bit.ly/3OM7w0S) you can read more. If you would like to view vote-by-mail returns, you can do so on our website homepage. Important to note, vote-by-mail is not opened until canvassing begins. Canvassing of vote-by-mail is open to the public should you want to see how the process works.

Active participation in the electoral process is vital for shaping the future of communities. Your vote matters, and it reflects democratic values. Should you have any questions about this election, or the upcoming 2024 Presidential elections please don’t hesitate to contact my office. My staff and I stand ready to assist. Thank you for being an active and informed member of our community!

Leah Valenti

Supervisor of Elections

Charlotte County

P.S. Remember to renew your Vote-By-Mail requests for the PPP election no later than 5 PM on March 7th!

REMINDER FOR ALL FLORIDA VOTERS! The Vote-By-Mail (VBM) ballot request deadline for the PPP is March 7th. VBM ballot requests expired November 8, 2022. If you've not done so already, renew yours today by clicking here! Once renewed, your request is valid through December 31, 2024.

THREE WAYS TO VOTE! CHOOSE ONE

1. VOTE-BY-MAIL

When voting, certified machines are used to read ballots. It is important to note that no voter is allowed to vote twice, and the first ballot received will be the one counted.

If a voter renews their

Vote-By-Mail (VBM) ballot choice but then decide they wish to vote in person, they may do so by relinquishing their VBM ballot at their polling location.

Vote-by-mail ballots should be sent back via USPS or dropped at a Secure Ballot Intake Station (SBIS). The deadline to request your Vote-By-Mail ballot for the PPP is March 7th.

Click here to renew online: bit.ly/47FhzMr
SBIS locations may be found here: bit.ly/3IfADpE

If it is determined a voter has already voted by mail but insists they have

not yet voted and want to vote in person on election day, they will be given a provisional

ballot. The Canvassing board will then decide which ballot should be

counted.

View our Vote-By-Mail frequently asked questions here: bit.ly/3OM7w0S

To learn more about Florida's voting laws, including early voting, mail-in voting, and in-person voting, it is recommended that voters visit the Online Sunshine website and review all relevant Florida Statutes .

2. VOTE EARLY

March 4th - March 17th, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at any of these locations:

3. VOTE IN-PERSON ELECTION DAY

Voters must vote on Election Day at their assigned polling location. If you know your precinct see below, or click here to locate it online: bit.ly/3GXBDxP

Are you scheduled to vote at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center? Please note, the Charlotte County Supervisor of Elections gives notice of a temporary change to the polling location for Precincts 3, 4, 19, and 28. This change applies to the March 19, 2024, Presidential Preference Primary only (Fla. Stat. 101.71(2)).

Precincts 3, 4, 19, and 28 moved to:

Punta Gorda Historical Courthouse

226 Taylor Street,

Punta Gorda, FL 33950

DISPELLING THE VOTING MACHINE INTERNET MYTH

MYTH: Voting machines are connected to the internet and can communicate/be communicated with via modem and/or cellular technology.

FACT: Charlotte County’s elections are secure and transparent. Our voting machines are not connected to any network, including cellular networks.

Our voting machines do not have wireless chips, or any other piece of hardware to communicate or be communicated with.

Our voting machines do not possess modem technology and cannot communicate or be communicated with by other devices.

To view all voting machines and software used in Charlotte County go here: bit.ly/48DgTXw

CANVASSING BOARD DUTIES

The County Canvassing Board is composed of the Supervisor of Elections, a County Court Judge (who acts as chair of the board), and a member of the Board of County Commissioners.

Canvassing Board Members:

Judge Peter Bell, Chair

Supervisor Leah Valenti

Commissioner Joe Tiseo

Commissioner Chris Constance

(alternate)

Canvassing Board responsibilities include:

Certification of the public logic and accuracy test of voting equipment.

Inspecting ballots that cannot be processed through the ballot tabulating equipment and determining voter intent.

Directing ballots to be duplicated as necessary so they can be counted by the tabulating equipment.

Examining provisional ballots cast to determine if the person was entitled to vote in the election.

Reporting results for each federal, state, or multicounty office or ballot measure; conducting necessary recounts; and certifying the official results of the election.

Directing the post-election certification audit of the voting system.

To read up on Florida Statutes 102.141 click here.

The Supervisor of Elections, Leah Valenti, issued a challenge to all Charlotte County High School students to design an "I Voted" sticker. The entries were so impressive that we ended up with two winners! We would like to express our gratitude to the Charlotte County School District and the Visual Arts Center for their support. Residents are welcome to view a poster of all the entries in any of our three offices.