About Vote-by-Mail

The following persons may request a ballot for a voter:

• The voter

• The voter’s immediate family member (i.e., spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling)

• The voter’s spouse’s parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling

• The voter’s legal guardian, or

• A designee for a voter with a disability

If a request is made on behalf of the voter, the following additional information is required:

• The requester’s address

• The requester’s driver license number, state identification card number, or the last four digits of the voter’s social security number (if available)

• The requester’s relationship to the voter, and

• The requester’s signature (if the request is in writing)

The statewide vote-by-mail ballot request form (Form DS-DE 160) must be used for written requests.

The deadline to request that a ballot be mailed is no later than 5 p.m. on the 12th day before the election.

A Supervisor of Elections must mail the ballot within two business days after receiving a request, but no later than the 10th day before Election Day.

A voter may pick up their own vote-by-mail ballot at any time once ballots for requests already on file have been mailed, including on Election Day.

A voter may also designate another person to pick up their ballot. The designee may pick up the ballot once ballots for requests already on file have been mailed. A designee is limited to picking up vote-by-mail ballots for no more than two other voters per election (not including their own ballot or ballots for their immediate family members).

An immediate family member includes the designee’s spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or the designee’s spouse’s parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling.

The designee must submit an affidavit to pick up the voter’s blank ballot. Form DS-DE 162 is a combination form that includes the affidavit for ballot pick-up, the written authorization for the designee, and—if a request is not already on record—the voter’s request for a vote-by-mail ballot.

If a voter or designee waits until the start of mandatory early voting or through Election Day to pick up or have a vote-by-mail ballot delivered, a special affidavit must also be completed. In this affidavit, the voter must affirm that an emergency exists preventing them from voting at an early voting site in their county or at their assigned polling place on Election Day. This affidavit is included as part of Form DS-DE 162.

Important: Vote-by-mail ballots cannot be forwarded. Please make sure we have your correct mailing address on file. Even if the post office forwards your regular mail to another address, they will not forward vote-by-mail ballots.

You may register to vote and request a vote-by-mail ballot at the same time by using a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). You can obtain the FPCA from any Voting Assistance Officer or from the Federal Voting Assistance Program website.

You may also contact your county Supervisor of Elections by phone, mail, fax, or email to request that a voter registration application or a vote-by-mail ballot be sent to you.

Supervisors of Elections must mail vote-by-mail ballots to military and overseas citizens no later than 45 days before each election; however, you may request that your vote-by-mail ballot be faxed or emailed to you.

If you include an email address with your vote-by-mail ballot request, you will receive an email confirming that your request has been received. The email will also provide the estimated date your ballot will be sent and notify you when your ballot is received.

You may track your vote-by-mail ballot request and ballot online click here.

If it is near Election Day and you still have not received your requested vote-by-mail ballot, immediately contact the Supervisor of Elections office.

For presidential preference primary elections and general elections only, and by operation of section 100.191, F.S., in special elections and special primary elections, an overseas voter’s vote-by-mail ballot postmarked or dated by Election Day and received within 10 days after the election will be counted, provided the ballot is otherwise proper.