Florida law changes vote-by-mail ballots for next election

Reporter: Annette Montgomery Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
Voters casting their ballots during the midterm elections in Miami-Dade County at the Miami Beach Fire Department – Station 4 on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Miami Beach, Fla. (David Santiago/Miami Herald via AP)

A Florida law that includes restrictions on drop boxes and voting by mail may impact voters in 2024.

Senate Bill 90 passed in 2021 mandates all vote-by-mail requests to be submitted before November 8. The 2022 general election expired on December 31.

A vote-by-mail ballot used to be good for two elections. Now, it only works for one. Only 23,000 voters in Lee County have requested a new vote by mail ballot. Election officials are concerned about the low numbers.

According to Tommy Doyle, supervisor of elections in Lee County, about 50% of the county votes by mail. In the 202 general election, that amounted to 212,000 voters.

“We would like to see about 250,000 or more people request their vote by mail. What I’ve always said is for people to request their vote by mail, even if they plan to go to the polls because it’s an insurance policy in case we have something happen like Hurricane Ian,” Doyle said.

Some of the criticism from opponents of this law is that it heightens voter suppression. For people who are disabled or don’t drive, voting by mail is their only option. If they are unaware of the new law and unable to make it to a polling site, they may not vote at all.

If you would like to renew your Vote-by-Mail request, you can contact the Lee County Elections Office:

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.