Voting By Mail in Flagler County
Many voters in Flagler County are considering voting by mail and have questions. Others are questioning the integrity of the mail ballot voting process. If you have questions about voting by mail, please take a moment and learn more about the process.
Voters request a mail ballot for a variety of reasons. Some for the convenience of voting from home, and others due to work, travel, transportation, or health reasons. We mail ballots all over the world to overseas citizens and our military service members who are serving overseas. Florida has been a no-excuse mail ballot state for over 20 years!
Here’s everything you need to know about voting by mail in Flagler County this year.
Topics:
- Who Can Vote By Mail?
- Overseas And Military Voters
- How To Request a Mail Ballot
- Do I Have A Request On File?
- Mail Ballots Are Not Forwarded
- Request Deadline
- When Are Mail Ballots Sent?
- Emergency Pickup By Designee
- Marking A Mail Ballot
- Returning A Mail Ballot
- One Ballot Per Envelope
- Election Day Mail Ballot Return
- Secure Ballot Drop Boxes
- Limits For Ballot Return
- Voting In Person With A Mail Ballot
- Track Your Mail Ballot
- When Are Mail Ballots Counted?
- Mail Ballot Security
Who Can Vote By Mail?
Any registered and qualified voter who is eligible to vote in an election may cast their ballot by mail. In the state of Florida, you do not have to provide an excuse or have a reason to vote by mail. Mail ballots are counted during every election. The deadline to request a mail ballot is 12 days prior to Election Day, which is October 24, 2024, for this election.
Overseas and Military Voters
Balloting materials for our uniformed service members and civilians overseas are mailed 45 days prior to an election. For more information about overseas and military voters, please visit this page: https://www.flaglerelections.gov/For-Voters/Military-Overseas-Voting
More information from the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP):
https://www.fvap.gov/eo/overview/materials/forms
How to Request a Mail Ballot
A vote-by-mail ballot may be requested for a specific election or for all elections through the next regularly scheduled General Election year. Mail ballot requests expire in December following a General Election. All requests currently on file will expire December 31, 2024.
A mail ballot request can be made in person, by mail, electronic mail, online, or by telephone. Only the voter or designated member of his or her immediate family or legal guardian can request a vote-by-mail ballot for the voter. The term “immediate family” means a person’s spouse or the parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the person or the person’s spouse.
Signatures on mail ballot requests are verified using the voter’s signature on file with the Elections Office before the request is processed. Voters who request their ballot online or by phone must provide their driver license number or the last four of their social security number.
A request from the voter must include the following information:
- Voter's name and address
- Voter's date of birth
- Voter's Florida Driver's License Number, Florida Identification Card Number or the last four digits of the voter's social security number
- Address where the ballot should be mailed
- The specific elections you are requesting
- Voter's signature (written requests only)
If the voter has designated an immediate family member or legal guardian to request a vote-by-mail ballot, that designee must provide the above information in addition to the following:
- The requester's name
- The requester's address
- The requester's relationship to the voter
- The requester's Florida Driver's License Number, Florida Identification Card Number, or the last four digits of the requester's social security number, if available
- The requester's signature (written requests only)
Request your ballot online at https://www.flaglerelections.gov/Request-a-Mail-Ballot or call the Elections Office at (386) 313-4170 to place your request for a mail ballot by phone.
Do I Have A Request On File?
Use our online voter lookup tool to check the status of your mail ballot request:
https://www.flaglerelections.gov/my-voter-info
Mail Ballots Are Not Forwarded
The United States Postal Service does not forward mail ballots. If you have mail forwarding services with the USPS, your ballot will be returned to the Elections Office as undeliverable. You must provide your mailing address at the time of your request.
If a ballot is being mailed to an address not on file with the Elections Office, the request must be made in writing and include the voter's signature using the form below. Signatures on mail ballot requests are verified using the voter’s signature on file with the Election Office, before they are processed.
Mail Ballot Request Form (Designee or Mailing Address)
Mail Ballot Request Form
Mail Ballot Request Form en Español (Spanish PDF)
When Are Mail Ballots Sent?
All requested vote-by-mail ballots are sent between 40 - 33 days prior to each election.
2024 General Election Mail Date: September 26, 2024
All requested vote-by-mail ballots for overseas military and overseas civilian voters are sent 45 days prior to each election.
2024 General Election Overseas Mail Date: September 20, 2024
Mail Ballot Request Deadline
Requests for vote-by-mail ballots must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 12th day before an election, according to Florida law.
2024 General Election Mail Ballot Request Deadline: October 24, 2024
Emergency Pickup By Designee
A voter may designate someone to deliver a ballot after ballots have been mailed and up to 7:00 PM on Election Day.
Any voter may designate in writing a person to pick up the ballot for the voter; 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. The designee shall provide to the supervisor the written authorization by the voter and a picture identification of the designee and must complete an affidavit.
The designee shall state in the affidavit that the designee is authorized by the voter to pick up that ballot and shall indicate if the voter is a member of the designee’s immediate family and, if so, the relationship. If the supervisor is satisfied that the designee is authorized to pick up the ballot and that the signature of the voter on the written authorization matches the signature of the voter on file, the ballot will be provided to that designee for delivery to the voter.
During the early voting period, or on Election Day, a designee may not deliver a ballot to a voter unless there is an emergency, to the extent that the voter will be unable to go to a designated early voting site in his or her county or to his or her assigned polling place on Election Day. If a vote-by-mail ballot is delivered, the voter or his or her designee must execute an affidavit affirming to the facts which allow for delivery of the vote-by-mail ballot.
Emergency Mail Ballot Pickup Form:
Form for Personal Delivery of Vote-by-Mail Ballot
Form for Personal Delivery of Vote-by-Mail Ballot en Español (Spanish PDF)
Marking a Mail Ballot
The voter must personally vote the ballot unless assistance is required due to blindness, disability, or inability to read or write.
The voter must also sign the return envelope. Power of Attorney does not apply to mail ballot voting. The vote-by-mail ballot will be rejected if the return envelope is not signed or the signature does not match the signature on file for the voter.
If your signature is missing or does not match, you will be immediately contacted by the Elections Office and instructed to complete the signature affidavit below and provide a copy of your identification.
Signature Affidavit Form:
Signature Affidavit For Your Vote-By-Mail Ballot
Signature Affidavit en Español (Spanish PDF)
Returning A Mail Ballot
Don't wait! Once you have received and voted your ballot, you don't have to wait to return it. Please make a plan to be sure your ballot is returned before 7:00 PM on Election Day. A postmark does not extend this deadline.
You must mail, personally deliver, or have someone else deliver your Vote-By-Mail ballot to the Elections Office inside the completed mailing envelope.
The USPS recommends mailing your ballot at least 10 days before Election Day to ensure there is enough time for First-Class delivery. Be sure there is sufficient postage if it is mailed. One first-class stamp is required. Please plan ahead to mail your voted ballot by October 26, 2024.
Election Day Ballot Return
Mail ballots cannot be returned to polling places on Election Day. Bring your voted mail ballot directly to the Elections Office on Election Day before 7:00 PM.
One Ballot Per Envelope
If two or more ballots for the same election are returned in one mailing envelope, the ballots will not be counted. Please use the return envelope provided and mail one ballot per envelope.
Secure Ballot Drop Boxes
Elections Office Drop Box
A staff member will monitor the ballot drop box (also known a secure ballot intake station) at the Elections Office during office hours beginning 35 days before an election and through Election Day. This drop box is not available after office hours or on weekends except during the early voting period. You may use this drop box to return any election-related paperwork and mail ballots during an election cycle.
Elections Office Drop Box Schedule:
September 30, 2024 – November 5, 2024
Available during office hours (Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM) and extended office hours during the early voting period.
Early Voting Drop Boxes
Secure drop boxes will also be monitored and available at all early voting sites during the early voting period. Voters may deposit their mail ballots in these drop boxes at any time the early voting sites are open for voting. View the early voting schedule for times and locations for early voting drop boxes.
Limits for Ballot Return
Any person may not return more than two Vote-By-Mail ballots per election in addition to his or her own ballot, or a ballot belonging to an immediate family member. The term “immediate family” means a person’s spouse or the parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the person or the person’s spouse. Reference: Section 104.0616, F.S.
Voting In Person With A Mail Ballot
If you have requested and received a mail ballot but decide to vote in person, bring your ballot with you to the polls. The mail ballot will be canceled and voided, and you will be issued a new ballot at the polling location.
You cannot use your voted mail ballot as a sample ballot in the voting booth. Instead, bring a sample ballot with you to use as a reference or take a photo of your voted ballot before you go vote.
Track Your Mail Ballot
Voter Info Look Up System
Our voter information lookup system answers several common questions from voters regarding their mail ballots.
- I've requested a mail ballot, has it been mailed yet?
- I already voted by mail ballot and mailed it in. Has the Elections Office received it?
Track the status of your vote-by-mail ballot using this free access system: https://www.flaglerelections.gov/my-voter-info
Ballot Trax
Sign up for our new ballot tracking service and follow your ballot all the way from printed and mailed ➡️ received and counted! ✅
BallotTrax is a secure communication system to help voters track their Vote-By-Mail ballots. BallotTrax has the capability to send text, email, and voicemail notifications reporting the status of a voter’s ballot during an election. The tracking service will provide the following notifications:
- Printed and being mailed soon
- Ballot has been mailed
- Received and counted
- Received and not counted
- Returned as undeliverable
The system does not change or update voter registration. It uses information available from the USPS to track outgoing and received mail, and voter registration information that is made available via public record. Sign up for BallotTrax here: https://flagler.ballottrax.net
When Are Mail Ballots Counted?
In Florida, we begin opening and counting mail ballots during public meetings of the Canvassing Board after the voting system has been tested, pursuant to Section 101.5612, F.S. These public meetings begin on October 11 and continue through Election Day.
Opening teams separate envelopes and their contents during these meetings to ensure a voter’s secrecy. The public is welcome to attend and watch the process in action. View the Canvassing Board Schedule here: https://www.flaglerelections.gov/Election-Info/2024-General-Election
Mail Ballot Security
How do you verify a voter's identity when they vote by mail?
In order to vote by mail, a citizen must be registered to vote and provide ID at the time of registering. If no ID is provided, the voter must return a copy of their ID along with their balloting materials and complete an affidavit. In order for a mail ballot to be counted, the signature on the returned voter’s certificate must match the signature on file.
Signatures on mail ballot requests are verified using the voter’s signature on file with the Elections Office before the request is processed. Voters who request their ballot online or by phone must provide their driver license number or the last four of their social security number.
Once returned, the thousands of mail ballot envelope signatures are reviewed by trained Elections Office staff, a process that takes many hours. Elections Office staff and Canvassing Board members must complete signature verification training provided by the Department of State each election year. In the 2020 General Election, we reviewed and verified every single one of the 31,000+ signatures. In the 2022 General Election, we verified 21,300+ signatures.
If there is a difference, the ballot is escalated for review by two other staff members. A mail ballot with a signature deficiency is referred, and the voter is immediately contacted by mail, phone, and/or email and instructed to complete an affidavit. They must provide a photo ID to “cure” the signature difference. If the ballot return envelope is not signed, the ballot cannot be counted unless the same affidavit and ID are provided. Voters have until 5:00 P.M. on Thursday following Election Day to provide a signature cure. After the deadline, the Canvassing Board reviews each referred mail ballot to compare the signature difference and decide whether the ballot is counted.
How do you keep mail ballots secured?
When a mail ballot is received, it is date stamped, counted, and sorted by precinct. Once the voter’s signature on the return ballot envelope is reviewed, the accepted ballot envelopes are counted and sorted by precinct. Rejected (or referred) mail ballots are stored separately, and the voters are contacted to cure their signature deficiency.
Mail ballots are received daily, and those returned each day are added to the cumulative total. We balance and reconcile totals by precinct before staff leaves for the day. They are stored in our fireproof vault, which is under video surveillance. Our security procedures require two-person control to enter all secure ballot storage areas. The ballots are stored there until they are opened and counted during a public meeting of the Canvassing Board. After tabulation, the ballot envelopes and counted ballots are sorted by precinct, by batch, by canvassing date, in our secure ballot storage area.
What is the turnout for mail ballots?
Are you curious about mail ballot turnout? The statistics might surprise you. During the 2022 General Election, partisan turnout for mail ballots was almost even for Democrats and Republicans in Flagler County.
|
Partisan Turnout
|
Votes Cast
|
VBM
|
|
2022 General
|
58,886
|
21,333
|
|
Republican
|
31,110
|
8,551
|
|
Democratic
|
16,031
|
8,660
|
|
Nonpartisan / Other
|
11,745
|
4,122
|
All mail ballot requests in the state of Florida expired after the 2022 election. The requests on file today are new since the last election cycle.
During the most recent Primary Election in August 2024, we mailed over 18,000 ballots, of which 12,161 were returned, verified, and counted. The return rate for this election was the highest in many years, at 64.2%.
Here’s a look at the partisan turnout for the 2024 Primary Election.
|
Partisan Turnout
|
Votes Cast
|
VBM
|
|
2024 Primary
|
27,459
|
12,161
|
|
Republican
|
16,027
|
5,357
|
|
Democratic
|
7,939
|
4,925
|
|
Nonpartisan / Other
|
3,493
|
1,879
|
If you still have questions, give us a call at (386) 313-4170. The Flagler County Elections Team is here to serve you.