Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner will begin mailing vote-by-mail (absentee) ballots to domestic voters today for the March 19 Presidential Preference Primary (PPP). Only registered Republican voters may vote in the March 19 PPP. Turner said more than 25,000 ballots will be mailed to registered Republican voters who have a vote-by-mail request on file with the elections office. This mailing follows the vote-by-mail ballots sent last week to registered military and overseas voters with requests on file. “It’s important to remember that since the state Democratic Party already selected its candidate for the party’s nomination for president, only the Republican Party will hold a statewide presidential primary,” Turner said. “To vote in it, you must be a registered Republican by the voter registration deadline on February 20.” Turner also noted that voters have until 5 p.m. Thursday, March 7 to request a ballot be mailed to them for the coming election. A voter may request a vote-by-mail ballot in one of the following ways: Online at SarasotaVotes.gov/VotebyMail; In person at any of three elections offices in Sarasota, Venice or North Port; By phone to 941.861.8618. “Voted ballots may be returned by mail or in person to the supervisor of elections but must be received in the elections office no later than 7 p.m. on election night to be counted,” Turner said. “Voters who cast their ballots by mail must sign the certificate on the ballot return envelope and their signature should match the signature on file in the statewide voter registration database.” A voter may update his or her signature any time by submitting a Florida Voter Registration Application to the elections office. For more information, visit SarasotaVotes.gov or call 941.861.8618.