The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office today delivered more than 24,000 vote-by-mail ballots to the post office for the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary election. This is in addition to the more than 3,000 ballots sent to military and overseas voters earlier this month.
Voters who have requested to vote-by-mail should begin receiving their blue and white ballot packages by the end of the week. The return envelope will be either green (civilian) or brown (military/overseas). Voted ballots must be received in the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day, March 17 and require $.55 first-class postage if returned by mail. The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters mail ballots at least one week before the due date. Ballots may also be returned by hand to the Supervisor of Elections Office or to an early voting site during early voting hours.
Voters will also notice that their envelope, ballot and balloting materials are bilingual (English and Spanish) for the first time.
The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the primary election is 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. To request a vote-by-mail ballot or track the status of your ballot, visit EscambiaVotes.com and click Vote by Mail, or contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 595-3900.
As a reminder, Florida holds closed primary elections. The March 17 Presidential Preference Primary is open only to registered Democrats and Republicans. Voters registered without party affiliation (NPA) or in a minor political party are ineligible and will not receive a ballot. The deadline to register to vote or to change party affiliation is Tuesday, February 18. You may check the status of your registration and party affiliation at EscambiaVotes.com and click Am I Registered, or contact the Elections Office at 595-3900.