Aug. 13 is deadline to request mail-in ballots for primary election

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the Aug. 23 primary election is 5 p.m. on Aug. 13.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be requested online at VoteAlachua.gov and clicking on the vote-by-mail tab or by calling 352-374-5252.

Alachua County voters will have an opportunity to wield the power of their vote during the Aug. 23  primary elections that will include local, state and national races.

On election day, polling places will be open from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m., and voters must cast their vote at their assigned polling place. Voters can confirm their voting precincts by visiting www.votealachua.com and clicking on “Where Do I Vote?”

This year, there are important changes to voting-by-mail, per new changes brought about by Senate Bill 90.

• Anyone without the last four digits of their Social Security number, a Florida Driver’s License or Florida identification on file with the Supervisor of Elections Office will not be able to make a vote-by-mail request by phone or online. To solve this, all you have to do is fill out a “voter registration application” by visiting www.registertovoteflorida.gov.

• Drop Boxes (Secure Ballot Intake Stations) for vote- by-mail ballots will be available during early voting hours at early voting locations for the 2022 primary election and during normal business hours at the Supervisor of Elections Office at 515 N. Main St. only from Aug. 8-12, and on Aug. 21-22. The Drop Box also will be available on Aug. 23 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Supervisor of Elections Office. The Supervisor of Elections office must have the vote-by-mail ballots by 7 p.m. on Aug. 23.

Aaron Klein, director of communications and outreach at the Supervisor of Elections Office, said you don’t  have to spend money on a postage stamp to mail your ballot because all Alachua County vote-by-mail ballots are prepaid.

“But voters must make sure their vote-by-mail ballot gets to the Supervisor of Elections Office by 7 p.m. on election day,” Klein said.

Klein recommends mailing your ballot at least one week before the election. Drop boxes are available during early voting hours and from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. on election day.

The postal service recommends voters mail ballots at least one-week before the due date to account for any unforeseen events such as weather issues. Make sure to let the Supervisor of Elections Office know about any address change. Mail in ballots can’t be forwarded.

New changes include making sure to renew your request for vote-by-mail ballots every two years or at the beginning of each odd-numbered year.

Klein encourages voters to verify and update their voter registration form at www.votealachua.com/My-Registration-Status or by calling 352-374-5252. Voters must update their records if their signature has changed and the deadline to do so is 5 p.m. on the Monday before election day.

Klein said by law voters must update their address if it has changed.

“You need to be registered at your current address,” Klein said.

Alachua County registered voters can save time by taking advantage of early voting, which will be available from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Aug.13-20.

Below are Early voting locations:

• Supervisor of Elections Office, Josiah T. Walls Building, 515 N. Main St.

• Millhopper Branch Library, 3145 NW 43rd St.

• Orange Heights Baptist Church, 16700 FL-26 Hawthorne

• Tower Road Branch Library, 3020 SW 75th St.

• Legacy Park Multipurpose Center, 15400 Peggy Road, Alachua.

• J Wayne Reitz  Union, 55 Reitz Union Drive, UF Campus.

• Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center,  23100 Newberry Road.

To review the races that will be on the ballot, visit www.votealachua.com or check your mail for sample ballots that will be mailed to you prior to the election.

Klein said this primary election really has something for all registered voters, including important local issues to consider.

“All Alachua County and Gainesville registered voters can vote on the School Board race and have an important impact on families and children in Gainesville,” Klein said..

The General Election will be held on Nov. 8, and the voter registration deadline for that election is Oct. 11.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Aug. 13 is deadline to request mail-in ballots for primary election