I have searched everywhere but can’t find the answer to this question. If I have requested a mail-in ballot, can I still vote in person if I don’t have the mail-in ballot with me? I know I can just hand in my mail ballot at the polling place, but what if I don’t have the ballot with me? Can I still just go ahead and cast my vote in person?
Good question. Here's the answer I got from my local elections office, which should be the rule for all of Florida:
A registered voter who requested a Vote-by-Mail ballot but decides to vote at the polls should surrender the Vote-by-Mail ballot at the polls so it may be cancelled.
A registered voter who requested a Vote-by-Mail ballot but cannot surrender the Vote-by-Mail ballot will be allowed to vote a regular ballot. After voting in person, we request that the voter destroy their original Vote-by-Mail ballot if they left it at home or if they come across it in the future.
A person who requested and returned a Vote-by-Mail ballot to the Supervisor of Elections office may not go to the polls to vote. Voters who vote more than once in the same election commit a felony and will be turned over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.
Perhaps helpful suggestion is to add a tab titled 'Voters Abroad' for those many, many thousands if not millions of voters needing to cast thier vote outside the USA, who might work in the armed forces or other services, or simply live outside the USA during the election. Voting Abroad procedures also have rules , deadlines, schedules to follow which is often is hard to locate or confirm, and their timely votes are important and need to be counted. Thank you.
I have searched everywhere but can’t find the answer to this question. If I have requested a mail-in ballot, can I still vote in person if I don’t have the mail-in ballot with me? I know I can just hand in my mail ballot at the polling place, but what if I don’t have the ballot with me? Can I still just go ahead and cast my vote in person?
Thanks
Good question. Here's the answer I got from my local elections office, which should be the rule for all of Florida:
A registered voter who requested a Vote-by-Mail ballot but decides to vote at the polls should surrender the Vote-by-Mail ballot at the polls so it may be cancelled.
A registered voter who requested a Vote-by-Mail ballot but cannot surrender the Vote-by-Mail ballot will be allowed to vote a regular ballot. After voting in person, we request that the voter destroy their original Vote-by-Mail ballot if they left it at home or if they come across it in the future.
A person who requested and returned a Vote-by-Mail ballot to the Supervisor of Elections office may not go to the polls to vote. Voters who vote more than once in the same election commit a felony and will be turned over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.
Thanks! Another resource would be where to look for candidates' answers to questions, or their platforms.
Thanks for all you are doing for democracy. I read you every day and share with others.
Perhaps helpful suggestion is to add a tab titled 'Voters Abroad' for those many, many thousands if not millions of voters needing to cast thier vote outside the USA, who might work in the armed forces or other services, or simply live outside the USA during the election. Voting Abroad procedures also have rules , deadlines, schedules to follow which is often is hard to locate or confirm, and their timely votes are important and need to be counted. Thank you.