MANATEE COUNTY – The Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office has begun sending out vote-by-mail ballots to those who requested them, and returning a ballot by mail will require additional postage.
For the general election that concludes Tuesday, Nov. 3, the return postage rate is 70 cents to mail a completed vote-by-mail ballot to the Supervisor of Elections Office. The additional postage is required because the general election ballot consists of multiple pages.
According to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website, returning a completed general election 2020 ballot by mail requires two Forever stamps or 70 cents worth of postage.
“If returning your vote-by-mail ballot by mail, the U.S. Postal Service suggests returning your ballot no later than one week prior to election day. The return postage is $.70.,” according to the Supervisor of Elections website.
A single 55-cent Forever stamp will not provide adequate postage and the front side of the return envelope notes, “Post Office will not deliver without proper postage.”
You must also sign the back of the return envelope before sending it to the Supervisor of Elections Office.
Mail ballots can currently be delivered in person, without postage, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to the elections drop box at the Supervisor of Elections Office at 600 301 Blvd. W., Suite 108, in Bradenton.
From Monday, Oct. 19 through Sunday, Nov. 1, vote-by-mail ballots can be delivered in person, without postage, to any of the early voting locations in Manatee County from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Those locations are:
- The Florida DOT administration office at 14000 S.R. 64 E. in Bradenton;
- The Manatee County utilities administration office at 4410 66th St. W. in Bradenton;
- Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. in Lakewood Ranch;
- The Palmetto Library, 923 Sixth St. W. in Palmetto;
- The Rocky Bluff Library, 6750 U.S. Hwy. 301 N. in Ellenton.
Late arriving ballots
On Aug. 21, the Supervisor of Elections Office distributed an email containing a message from Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett regarding vote-by-mail ballots returned too late to be counted for the primary election that concluded Tuesday, Aug. 18.
“With all the talk about the post office and vote-by-mail ballots arriving late or not at all, Michael Bennett, Manatee County Supervisor of Elections, wants to make sure everyone is aware of the voter’s responsibility,” the elections office email said.
“It’s not the post office that made these ballots late, the voter waited until Election Day to mail their ballot,” Bennett said in the email.
“Some voters may be under the impression that it is the postmark date that enables their vote to be counted. Supervisor Bennett wants everyone to know, that’s not true. Per Florida Statute, ballots are accepted at the secure ballot drop box located outside of my office up to 7 p.m. on Election Day, not postmarked Election Day,” the email said.
The email noted more than 300 vote-by-mail ballots had arrived late as of Aug. 21 and 124 of those were postmarked Aug. 18.
“None of them are eligible to be counted. Voters whose ballots were received after Election Day that were postmarked the 18th – or even within a few days of that date – cannot blame the delay on the post office. It’s very disappointing that voters did not mail their ballots in time to be counted. So please, don’t blame the post office,” Bennett said in the Aug. 21 email.
According to Chief Deputy Sharon Stief, Saturday, Oct. 24 is the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed to you. Monday, Oct. 5 is the deadline to register to vote in this year’s general election.
More information is available at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website.
