2012 Elections: 31,000 Absentee Ballots Cast So Far

Voters choosing to cast their ballot by mail or absentee can now drop off their ballots through Saturday.

More than 31,000 absentee ballots have been mailed so far, according to Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent. That's about 11 percent of the 270,805 registered voters in the county.

The drive-thru, drop-off booth is located at Sarasota County Terrace Building, 2001 Adams Lane, and will remain open through the eight days of early voting through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Voters should look for the blue Supervisor of Elections canopy on the south side of Morrill Street, east of Washington Boulevard, just one block south of the Terrace Building.  Representatives of the elections office will be on hand to collect and drop the signed ballot envelopes into a secured ballot box.

Dent said the drop-off service is a handy way for voters to return their mail ballots without having to pay the cost of postage, park their cars, or worry about the speed of mail delivery.

Dent cautioned voters to ensure they sign their absentee ballot certificate envelopes prior to dropping them off. Mail cannot be opened and counted under Florida law, if the certificate envelope is not signed, Dent said. 

If your signature has changed, voters are asked to update their signature before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Updates can be made on the Florida Voter Registration Application.

Early voting is offered daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday at the following locations in Sarasota:

• Sarasota County Terrace Building, First Floor, 2001 Adams Lane

• North Sarasota Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd.

• , 7112 Curtiss Ave.

All voted absentee ballots must be in the hands of the supervisor of elections by 7 p.m. on election night, Aug. 14, to be counted.