Has your mail-in ballot been received? Here’s how to check

If you voted by mail, you’ll need to check the status of your ballot to make sure your vote will be counted this year.

Amy Keith, Executive Director Common Cause, Floridaadvised voters to track their ballot with their local supervisor of elections. website.

“It’s very easy to track your mail-in ballot online, and if there are any issues with the signature on your mail-in ballot, an alert will appear in that online system,” Keith said.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan social welfare group working to support democracy in America, according to its website.

Keith said the most common problem is mail-in ballots arriving late. The Supervisor of Elections Office must receive all ballots by 7:00 p.m. on November 5th. If they arrive late, they will not be counted.

As of Thursday morning, nearly 2.5 million mail-in ballots had already been mailed out. received in Florida. Another million was sent but has not yet been returned.

Keith said the best time to submit your mail-in ballot in person is closer to the election.

“Again, there is no cure if you vote late,” she said.

There is also no cure for the situation when two people send their ballots in the same envelope, she said. Florida Statute 101.68c states that “these votes cannot be counted.”

“It is therefore very important that voters are conscientious about their choice their voting by mail in their mail-in ballot envelope,” she said.

According to Keith, one common problem that can be resolved is a missing or inconsistent signature.

She said people often simply forget to sign their ballot before mailing it in or the signature doesn’t match what’s on file.

To correct or “cure” these problems, you will need to provide proof that the ballot actually belongs to you. The message board has specific guidelines to follow to help you solve these problems.

Although the supervisor of elections is required to notify you of problems by mail, there is often not enough time to make changes after Election Day, Keith said. She said if you have a phone number or email address registered with the office, they will be able to contact you that way.

The deadline to make these changes is 5pm on November 7th – two days after Election Day.