The Time to Request 2024 Vote-by-Mail Ballots is Now

Voters should renew their request sooner than later or they could forget and miss their opportunity to receive a mail ballot.”

Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennet

MANATEE COUNTY — More than 100,000 registered voters in Manatee County will receive official correspondence from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office  this month. The communications are part of an effort by the elections office to inform voters of an important update concerning voting by mail.

Manatee County voters who cast vote by mail ballots in prior years will receive notices in September from the office of the Supervisor of Elections (SOE) informing them that they will need to make a new request to receive mail ballots in 2024. Those who have provided their email address in the past will receive an official email. Others will receive the notification via postal service.

The change comes as part of the Florida Legislature’s SB 90 in 2021 which “limits the duration of requests for vote-by-mail ballots to all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election.” 

“We went from more than 100,000 voters having a request on record for a mail ballot to zero,” Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennet said in a press release.

“This effort is about making people aware that they’ll need to renew their vote by mail request more frequently. Voters should renew their request sooner than later or they could forget and miss their opportunity to receive a mail ballot,” Bennet added.

Scott Farrington, Bennett’s Chief of Staff, said during the 2022 General Election 110,260 vote-by-mail ballots were sent to Manatee County voters and 75,310 were returned—about 44 percent of the turnout that year.

By Farrington’s calculations, a small number of Manatee County voters—just 7,848—have re-registered their vote-by-mail request since the law went into effect. Only those voters who completed the re-registration will receive mail ballots in 2024.

The county’s SOE assures Manatee County voters that voting by mail is a safe and convenient way to cast your ballot. Voting by mail allows voters to avoid potential Election Day obstacles like long lines, bad weather or work delays. Voting by mail also gives voters more time to consider issues and candidates with their ballot in hand, rather than feeling rushed at the polling place. 

Requesting a vote by mail ballot is simple. Voters can make their request by visiting www.votemanatee.gov/VBM Voters may also call the county’s Supervisor of Elections office at (941) 741-3823 and press 1.

The vote-by-mail request requires the voter to provide their name and date of birth, and either the last four digits of their social security number or a valid Florida driver’s license/Florida identification card.

In order to cast a ballot in any election, citizens must register to vote at least 29 days prior to the scheduled election date. Voters who wish to cast a vote-by-mail ballot should submit their request with the SOE as soon as possible, as vote-by-mail ballots are post-mailed to voters' home address of record 30 days prior to a scheduled election date.