Seminole County's elections chief is telling voters who still have a mail ballot at home to hand-deliver it rather than drop it in a mailbox, saying the U.S. Postal Service has been slow to deliver ballots in the county.
Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock told WESH 2 News this week that her office has fielded steady calls and emails from voters who requested a mail ballot and have not received it. "We're seeing a delay in USPS delivering vote-by-mail ballots," she said.
Voters in that position who are worried should "make a plan," she said, and vote early in person or on Election Day instead.
For voters who already have a ballot in hand, Pennock's advice was direct: "If you have your ballot, don't put it in the post office. Drop it off to one of our secure ballot intake stations at early voting locations or here at our office."
WESH said it had asked the Postal Service for comment and had not received a reply. The station reported that more than 36,000 Seminole County voters had returned mail ballots, and that elections officials in Broward County are hearing similar complaints about ballots that have not arrived.
The deadline
Under Florida law, a mail ballot counts only if the Supervisor of Elections office has it in hand by 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, which is Election Day. A postmark does not count, according to the elections office. If mailed, one Forever stamp covers the return postage this year.
Where to drop it off
Through Sunday, Nov. 1, completed mail ballots can be left in the secure intake boxes staffed at each of the county's seven early voting sites, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The sites closest to Winter Springs are the Jean Rhein Central Branch Library, 215 Oxford Road in Casselberry, and two in Oviedo: the Oviedo Aquatic Center, 148 Oviedo Blvd., and the East Branch Library, 310 N. Division St. The others are the elections office in Sanford, the West Branch Library in Longwood, the Northwest Branch Library in Lake Mary and the North Branch Library in Sanford.
