How do I vote and make sure it is counted in Florida’s election? Follow this guide

Floridians are apparently not slacking.

By Oct. 9, 10 days early in-person voting began, nearly 1.4 million Florida voters had returned their mail-in ballots, according to the state’s election department. As of Saturday morning, that number was up to almost 4.5 million.

And another more than 3.8 million had voted in person.

Mail ballots have to arrive by the 7 p.m. Nov. 3 deadline for the race to decide if President Donald Trump gets a second term or if it’s former Vice President Joe Biden’s turn to become only the 14th man to serve as both VP and, later, U.S. president.

Such is the urgency Americans feel every four years when the national presidential race tops the ballot.

There are plenty of other contests to decide on the ballot, too.

There are mayors’ seats up for grabs, as in Bradenton’s race between Gene Brown, Harold Byrd. Jr and Dimitrie Denis. State representatives and congressional seats need to be filled. Local municipalities have council and commission positions vying for your vote.

There are also amendments to consider. Florida voters could ask for a higher minimum wage over the next six years, for instance.

Four years ago, COVID-19 didn’t factor into how you cast your ballot. Now, we have to decide if we feel comfortable enough venturing out to our precinct or if mailing our ballots seems safest.

Do I have to wear a mask at the poll? Do I still have time to get a mail-in ballot so I can be like those 1.4 million Floridians who already made their choices?

We hear you.

Hopefully, this voting guide answers some of your questions.

Can I vote in the Nov. 3 election?

Are you an American citizen and are you a registered voter? If so, you should be able to cast your ballot.

When can I vote?

You have options. Vote on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, at your assigned precinct.

Or vote by mail now and your ballot must arrive at the elections department office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. You can also drop it off at the elections office, 601 301 Blvd. W., #108, Bradenton, or one of the other five early voting locations.

If you want to vote early in person, you have one more day after Saturday. The polls at the early voting locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p,m

Where can I vote?

If you don’t vote by mail or early in person, on Election Day, Nov. 3, you have to vote at your assigned precinct.

What if I have a vote-by-mail ballot in hand but decide to vote in person at my precinct anyway?

You can, under these conditions:

You can’t use your mail-in-ballot to vote at your precinct if you change your mind and want to vote in person instead. But you can bring it to your precinct on Election Day and have it canceled so that you can cast your vote inside.

If you don’t return the ballot to the precinct, the election will have to confirm the voter’s vote-by-mail ballot has not been received by the election’s department. If they can not, you can cast a provisional ballot.

Am I just voting for the president?

Vote for whomever, and in whichever, category you wish. You don’t have to vote in every race or in every municipal initiative for your ballot to be counted. However, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the races so that you can make your voice heard across the board.

For example, the race for president between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will be on every ballot and, naturally, has dominated national news coverage.

There are also six congressional races in South Florida and 19 state representative races. Some ballots will ask you if you want to retain judges in your district, too. Your ballot will have the local races particular to your district in addition to the common to all races, like president.

What are the six constitutional amendments on the ballot?

There are also six constitutional amendments on Florida’s 2020 ballot. They include:

▪ A question to seek approval to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Florida’s current minimum wage is $8.56 hourly.

▪ Changing how primary elections are held so that all registered voters can cast a vote for governor, Legislature and Cabinet-level races. Currently, only voters registered as either a Democrat or a Republican can vote in their party’s primary to decide which candidate moves on to the general election.

▪ Requiring 60% voter approval of constitutional amendments in two separate elections.

▪ A limitation on homestead exemptions. Currently, Floridians who move from one homesteaded property to another have two years from Jan. 1 of the year of the sale of the first home to claim the tax benefit. This amendment’s language tweak would give homeowners an additional year to do so.

▪ An ad valorem tax discount for spouses of certain deceased veterans who had permanent, combat-related disabilities.

▪ An amendment to alter the wording of the Constitution to say that “only a citizen” of the United States can vote. That’s already Florida law. The language tweak would change what currently reads as “every citizen” can vote.

I think I forgot to sign my mail-in ballot. It might be rejected. How can I fix it?

Most instances of rejected ballots are because people forget to sign the red box, election officials say. You must sign your own ballot envelope and, for the most part, only signatures that are vastly different from the one on file are rejected.

Or, your signature may have changed significantly from even four years ago and may not match the signature on record.

If a signature is missing, or does not match the one on file, elections departments will send a letter (or e-mail or call if that information is included on the envelope) to tell you that you need to fill out an affidavit that verifies that the signature is yours.

The affidavit must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections within two days after Election Day.

How do I check to see if my mail-in ballot has been received and counted?

In Manatee County, you can check out the status of your mail-in ballot on the election supervisor’s website.

This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 5:00 AM.