"Drive-up, drop-off” service available for Sarasota voters | News

Sarasota, Florida -- As voting for the August 14 Primary gets under way, Sarasota County voters will be able to drop off their vote-by-mail (absentee) ballots at a secure, drive-up collection booth.

As a convenience to those who choose to vote by mail, Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent will open an express ballot drop-off booth during the eight days of early voting, Saturday, Aug. 4 through Saturday, Aug. 11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Sarasota County Terrace Building.

Dent said in a release that the drop-off service is a handy way for voters to return their mail ballots without having to pay the cost of postage, park their cars, or worry about the speed of mail delivery.

But Dent cautions voters to ensure they have signed their absentee ballot certificate envelopes prior to dropping them off and urges absentee voters whose signatures may have changed since the last election to update their signatures with the SOE office.

Voters should look for the blue Supervisor of Elections canopy on the south side of Morrill Street, east of Washington Blvd., just one block south of the Terrace Building.  SOE representatives will be on hand to collect and drop the signed ballot envelopes into a secured ballot box.

All voted absentee ballots must be in the hands of the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on election night to be counted.