Vote-by-mail (absentee) ballots are available now for the November 2 City of Venice General Election and Town of Longboat Key Referendum, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner announced Wednesday.  Turner said any registered voter may request a vote-by-mail ballot for his or her respective election online at SarasotaVotes.gov/VotebyMail or by calling 941.861.8618. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed to a voter is 5 p.m., Saturday, October 23. Voted ballots may be returned by mail or in person but must be received in the elections office by 7 p.m. election night to be counted. The cost to return a ballot by mail is one Forever stamp or $.58 postage. Turner noted that voted ballots also may be returned to secure drop boxes, located inside elections offices in Sarasota, Venice and North Port. Turner urges voters to read and follow the instructions included with vote-by-mail ballots to ensure their ballots are counted. Voters should complete and sign the Voter’s Certificate on the ballot return envelope and the voter’s signature should match the signature on record. 

Voters may track their vote-by-mail ballots and sign up to receive vote-by-mail ballot status notifications at SarasotaVotes.gov/VotebyMail.  

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