JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — To make sure your vote is counted Tuesday, elections officials on the First Coast are urging voters to check their polling locations and the status of their mail-in ballots.
In Duval County, Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland reminds voters the county has 26 fewer polling locations now.
“That’s one reason we increased the early voting sites, to take up that demand," Holland said.
First Coast News asked if this means voters should expect lines at polling locations.
“Probably not in the primary," Holland said. "But I will assure you, in the November elections, if people don’t vote early and we get half the voters going to the polls in November on Election Day, they’ll be waiting in lines.”
In St. Johns County, Supervisor of Elections Vicky Oakes urges voters to check the status of their mail-in ballots.
Close to 13,000 mail-in ballots have not been returned, according to numbers from her office. Oakes said her office mailed out 24,745 mail-in ballots and her office's website showed Monday 11,858 mail-in ballots were counted.
"Today and tomorrow we get some in the mail then we get more vote-by-mail ballots," Oakes said. "A few of them don’t match so now we’re sending out more notices. Once a voter cures their ballot then it goes to the canvassing board and is counted.”
According to the nonprofit news organization the Florida Phoenix, Oakes’s office has so far rejected nearly 7% of vote-by-mail ballots due to signature concerns, a much higher number than the statewide average of 0.63%. Oakes pointed to new election laws requiring signature verification. Signatures on vote-by-mail ballots must match voters’ signatures on file.
Oakes said voters without matching signatures are contacted.
“Cure affidavits are due in our office by the second day following the election at 5:00 p.m.," she said. "So that’s Thursday at 5 p.m.”
Oakes said it's too late for voters to put their mail-in ballots in the mailbox, but they can surrender their mail-in ballots at polling locations and vote in-person Tuesday.
Voters can verify the status of their mail-in ballots on the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections website.