Florida VBM Guide

Requesting a Mail-In Ballot and Voting by Mail in Florida

Deadline to Request a Mail-In Ballot: October 24TH at 5:00PM (request received by)
Deadline to Submit a Mail-In Ballot: Received by November 3rd at 7:00PM

To request a mail ballot, visit https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/for-voters/voting/vote-by-mail/ to find information on your local Supervisor of Elections.

Request a Vote-by-Mail ballot from your local Supervisor of Elections in writing (by email, fax, or mail), by phone, or in person.
**Paper forms must be signed by the voter.

The vote-by-mail ballot request must be made by the voter or a designee who is an immediate family member or legal guardian.

The request must include the following:

The voter’s name
The voter’s address
The voter’s date of birth
The voter’s signature (if the request is written and the request is to an address other than the one on file). Note, an exception to this requirement exists for absent uniformed service voter or an overseas voter seeking a vote-by mail ballot.

If request is made by someone other than the voter, it must also include:

The request must include the following:

The requester’s name.
The requester’s address.
The requester’s driver license number, if available.
The requester’s relationship to the elector.

Can you assist voters in requesting a ballot?

Florida law does not specifically address assistance with ballot requests made by mail.

As to in-person requests, a voter can pick up their own ballot in-person after any day it becomes available through Election Day. Before election day, starting on October 25th , any voter may designate in writing a person to pick up the ballot for the elector; however, the person designated may not pick up more than two vote by-mail ballots per election, other than the designee’s own ballot, except that additional ballots may be picked up for members of the designee’s immediate family who supply an affidavit stating that the designee is authorized by the voter to pick up that ballot. In that case, the affidavit should indicate that the designee is an immediate family member of the voter requesting the ballot.

A request cannot be signed and submitted by another person on behalf of a voter, unless the voter has a disability.

How can voters return a marked ballot?

Voters must submit (mail or deliver) their completed ballots so that they reach the Supervisor of Elections no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day (Nov. 3).

Voters can submit their marked ballots by:

Mailing it in, but be sure the envelope has sufficient postage
Dropping it off at:

An early voting location, such as the County Recorder’s Office or Elections Office

A secure ballot drop box

Complete instructions are included with the vote-by-mail ballot, which voters should read and review carefully. If the voter decides to go to the polls to vote, the voter should bring the vote-by-mail ballot (marked or not) with them.

**Voters must fill out their ballots on their own unless the voter has a disability (either visually or related to an
inability to read or write), in which case someone chosen by the voter may assist in marking the ballot, provided
that the person assisting the voter is not the voter’s employer, an agent or officer of the voter’s employer, or an
agent of the voter’s union.

Can you assist voters in returning a marked ballot?

Florida state law does not someone other than the voter submitting a marked ballot to your Election Supervisor’s office or secure drop box, provided it is sealed in its envelope and marked.

However, generally it is a misdemeanor to pay someone or accept payment for distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, delivering, or otherwise physically possessing more than two vote-by-mail ballots per election in addition to the voter’s own ballot or that of an immediate family member

Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Florida legal professional.

Last updated October 2020

For more information, visit
www.fairelectionscenter.org

If you have questions or are experiencing problems voting, call the Election Protection Hotline and speak with a volunteer to get help.

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