Mindful of Coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, Alachua County Supervisor of Elections encourages voters to sign up to vote by mail

Press release from Alachua County Supervisor of Elections

Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Kim A. Barton is encouraging voters to sign up to vote by mail because of concerns surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“I want to make sure that all Alachua County voters are positioning themselves to make sure their voices are heard in August and November,” said Barton, who has served as the county’s chief elections official since 2017 and has worked with the office since 1993. “I am concerned that the traditional method of setting up 63 Election Day polling places may not be feasible in August and November because of the current situation.”

Voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot online at VoteAlachua.com/MBRS. Return postage on vote-by-mail ballots is prepaid. Any voter can vote by mail — no reason or excuse needed.

More than 30,000 Alachua County voters voted by mail during the 2018 General Election, the most ever in Alachua County. Vote-by-mail ballot requests are good through two General Elections, and requests must be made by 5 p.m. on the tenth day prior to an election. Request deadlines for the upcoming elections are as follows:

• Primary Election: Saturday, August 8, at 5 p.m.
• General Election: Saturday, October 24, at 5 p.m.

In order to be counted, vote-by-mail ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. The office recommends mailing ballots back at least a week in advance to provide adequate time for delivery.

Barton, a member of the Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) legislative committee, will be advocating state officials along with other committee members for changes to Florida’s elections processes in the coming weeks and months. FSE is the professional association of Florida’s elections officials.

Among the items for which she will be advocating are changes to the state’s vote-by-mail and early voting laws that would give local elections officials the authority to effectively respond during emergency situations, including extending early voting provisions through Election Day.