Made a mistake on your Florida ballot? Here’s how to fix it before Election Day
We all make mistakes.
But what if you made a mistake while filling out your vote-by-mail ballot for this year’s general election? Perhaps you bubbled in the wrong candidate by accident. Or you scratched out your mistake and circled your final choice, underlining it for good measure in red ink.
Here’s what to do:
Mistakes at early voting polling locations
If you are at an early voting site through Nov. 3 or at your precinct on Election Day, Nov. 5, and you make a mistake while filling out your ballot, alert a poll worker and ask for a new ballot. Your ballot will be voided and you will be given a new ballot to start fresh.
KNOW MORE: Want to vote before Election Day in South Florida? Here’s where — and tips to follow
Tips: Review and check both sides of your ballot. Bubble in your choice — don’t circle, underline, scratch out.
Mistakes on an a mail-in ballot
The deadline to request a mail ballot was Oct. 24. But that’s not the deadline to return or request a replacement ballot should your ballot arrive damaged or got lost in the mail, or if you marked it haphazardly at home.
If you marked your ballot incorrectly:
▪ Contact your county’s election department to request a replacement ballot. You are entitled to receive up to three total ballots should you mess up a lot. (Your original ballot plus two replacements.) Since the deadline to request a replacement ballot in the mail has already passed, Miami-Dade voters who want a replacement ballot must visit the elections department headquarters in Doral, at 2700 NW 87th Ave.
Tip: The deadline to return your vote by mail ballot is 7 p.m. Election Day, Nov. 5. It does not matter if a ballot is postmarked by Nov. 5. The ballot must be in the possession of the elections department by 7 p.m. Don’t wait until near or on Election Day to request a replacement ballot and return it by mail.
Another tip: If you make a mistake and have requested and received a replacement ballot make sure you don’t casually toss the ruined ballot into the trash. Destroy the ballot with the mistake. If you send the replacement ballot back but you or someone else accidentally sends the Election Department the ruined ballot, too, that means you’ve sent two votes, two ballots. None of them will count, the department says.
▪ What if you already mailed out your ballot and then realize you made a mistake? If you marked the ballot incorrectly and mailed it back to the elections department, it may be too late because your ballot is counted after it is received and scanned into the system. You may be contacted if your signature doesn’t match or you forgot to sign the envelope.
A listing of all of Florida’s Supervisor of Elections offices with links to contact them is at MyFloridaElections.com.
— In Miami-Dade email votebymail@miamidade.gov. Call 305-499-8444 or visit Miami-Dade’s website at www.miamidade.gov/global/elections/home.page.
— In Broward email VBMrequest@BrowardVotes.gov. Call 954-357-7055. Or visit Broward’s website at browardvotes.gov/.
— In Monroe, the Florida Keys elections office offers an online portal at www.keyselections.org to help you receive a mail-in ballot and answer other voting questions.
Vote in person: If you realize you’ve made a mistake and opt to not request a replacement ballot, you can go to an early voting location through Nov. 3 in Miami-Dade and Broward and Nov. 2 in Monroe and vote at the booth. Or go to your precinct on Election Day, Nov. 5, and vote there.
Bring your mismarked or damaged mail-in-ballot so that it may be discarded — but that’s not required. Once your vote is received, in person or by receipt of the mail-in ballot and entered into the system, the computer is triggered and will only accept the first ballot voted. A double vote would be kicked out by the system, the election department says.
Tip: You can’t drop your a ballot off at your designated voting precinct on Election Day. If you wait until Election Day to return it, that mail-in ballot can only be submitted at your county’s elections office.
This article has been updated to clarify that it is too late to request a replacement vote-by-mail ballot through the mail.
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Made a mistake on your Florida ballot? Here’s how to fix it before Election Day."
