18 EARLY VOTING SITES OPEN 7AM UNTIL 7PM MONDAY OCTOBER 19TH THROUGH SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1ST!
by: Robert S Weinroth
The Supervisor of Elections Office announced TWO NEW Early Voting sites during the August primary, one located in Delray Beach and the other in Greenacres.
Those new sites at the Delray Beach Community Center, 50 NW 1st Ave Delray Beach FL 33444, located in the heart of downtown Delray and their 18th location, at the Greenacres Community Center at 501 Swain Blvd Greenacres FL 33463, will be available for the General Election.
In addition, the Supervisor of Elections, Wendy Sartory Link, has announced the location for Secure Drop Box and Mobile Van Ballot Drop Off locations.
Each of the Secure Drop Box locations will be equipped with 24/7 Video Monitoring to ensure safety and security.
Those locations will be at the four offices of the Supervisor of Elections:
- SOE Main Office: 240 S Military Trl West Palm Beach;
- SOE South County Branch: 345 S Congress Ave Delray Beach;
- SOE North County Branch: 3188 PGA Blvd RM 2401 Palm Beach Gardens; and
- SOE West County Branch: 2976 State Road 15 Flr 2 Belle Glade
Early Voting for the General Election will begin this Monday, October 19, 2020, and continue through Sunday, November 1, 2020, from 7AM to 7PM. There will be no early voting on Monday November 2, 2020 as the Supervisor of Elections prepares for the “main event” on November 3, 2020.
Register Palm Beach County voters can cast their ballot at any of the eighteen (18) Early Voting Sites located throughout the county during Early Voting hours. HOWEVER, on Election Day (November 3, 2020) voters can only vote in the polling place assigned to their precinct.
Voters are required to present a valid and current photo/signature ID at check-in. The full list of acceptable IDs on the SOE website (PBCElections.org) .
If you cannot get to either an Early Voting site or your assigned precinct’s voting site in election day there is still time to request your Vote by Mail ballot but you need to act fast.
The deadline to request that a Vote-by-Mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5PM on the tenth day before the election (October 24, 2020).
A voter can pick up or have delivered their own Vote-by-Mail ballot at any time (including on Election Day).
A voter can authorize in writing for someone else (a designee) to pick up the voter’s ballot. The designee must submit an affidavit to pick up a ballot for a voter.
The earliest a designee can pick up the voter’s ballot is nine days before Election Day. Your designee will need to provide the SOE with a written request from you and a photo ID, and will need to complete this affidavit.
If a voter or designee waits until Election Day to pick up or have delivered a Vote by Mail ballot, the Election Day Vote by Mail Ballot Delivery Affidavit must also be completed. The voter must affirm an emergency exists keeping the voter from being able to vote at his or her assigned polling place.
Some Additional Information About the Vote by Mail Ballot
Is there a difference between an absentee ballot and a mail ballot?
In Florida, No. These are two terms to describe the same type of ballot. Any registered eligible voter may vote by mail. All eligible mail ballots are counted in an election, the same as Election Day ballots and Early Voting ballots. Voting by mail provides voters with the flexibility and convenience to vote from their homes.
Do I need a reason to vote by mail?
No, any registered voter may request a Vote by Mail ballot.
How do I request a mail ballot?
Requests can be made online, in person, by phone, by email, or by fax.
- Online by clicking on the “Request a Vote By Mail” button found on their Vote By Mail web page,
- In person by visiting one of their four offices (listed above),
- By calling 561.656.6208,
- By email to VoteByMail@PBCElections.org, or
- By fax to 561.656.6230.
Will my mail ballot be sent to my residential address or my mailing address?
If your voter registration record includes a mailing address, your ballot will be mailed to your mailing address. If you would like your ballot mailed to an address other than your residential or mailing address, a signed request is required. Signed requests can be faxed to 561.656.6230, mailed to one of our four offices, or emailed to VoteByMail@PBCElections.org and must include your first name, last name, address, date of birth, and signature so the SOE can verify and process your request.
Will my mail ballot be forwarded if I have moved since requesting a ballot or have a forwarding address?
No. Ballots are NOT forwardable. Your ballot will be mailed to your residential address unless we have a mailing address, or other authorized address on file for you. Be sure to provide us with your current address to ensure delivery. A ballot returned to the SOE office as undeliverable will cancel an existing request for upcoming elections and you will be required to submit a new request.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are 1,020,576 active registered voters in Palm Beach County as of October 13, 2020. They breakdown as follows:
- Democrat: 428,520
- Republican: 292,040
- NPA and Other: 300,016