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First mailings of vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters for Nov. 3 general election start to go out

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Mailing of requested Vote-by-Mail ballots to domestic voters started to go out today, September 24, for the upcoming General Election.

Ballots for domestic voters must be mailed out between Sept. 24 and Oct. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.

All Vote-by-Mail requests from prior years have expired and the deadline for voters to request a ballot to be delivered by mail, for the General Election, is 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 22.

Vote-by-Mail ballot requests can be made online or by phone request — for example in Collier County at CollierVotes.gov/RequestBallot or at (239) 252-VOTE (8683) and in Lee County at https://www.lee.vote/277/Request-a-Vote-by-Mail-Ballot or at (239) 533-VOTE (8683).

Voted ballots must be physically returned (not just postmarked) to the Supervisor of Elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. The United States Postal Service recommends that voters mail their voted ballots one week before the due date to account for any unforeseen events such as weather issues and to allow for timely receipt and processing by the elections office.

In Collier County, voted ballots can also be dropped off at any of the 11 early voting locations between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on October 22 through October 31.

Voters who receive a ballot in the mail and decide to vote in person should bring their marked or unmarked ballot to their polling location so it can be canceled.

If you need to contact the supervisor of elections in your county, here are numbers and websites for the WGCU listening area:

Charlotte; (941) 833-5400, Leah Valenti, SOE@SOECharlotteCountyFl.gov

Collier:  (239) 252-8683, Melissa Blazier, Supervisor.Elections@CollierVotes.gov

DeSoto: (863) 993-4871, Debbie Wertz, info@votedesotofl.gov

Glades:  (863) 946-6005, Aletris Farnam, vote@voteglades.gov

Hendry: (863) 675-5230, Sherry Taylor, supervisor@hendryelections.gov, Sherry.Taylor@HendryElections.gov

Highlands:  (863) 402-6655, Karen Healy, vote@votehighlands.gov

Lee: Jenna Persons-Mulicka, supervisor of elections; 239-533-8683, elections@lee.vote.

Okeechobee: (863) 763-4014, David May, elections@voteokeechobee.gov

Sarasota: (941) 861-8600, Ron Turner, https://www.sarasotavotes.gov/229/Contact-the-Supervisor

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