The information below can be found on the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website.
What is Vote-by-Mail?
Vote-by-mail, formerly referred to as “Absentee Voting”, is a convenient voting option available to all registered voters to receive and cast a paper ballot by mail as an alternative to going to the polls. Voting by mail is easy and accurate!
- Avoid possible lines
- No schedule conflicts
- Additional time to study the candidates and issues on the ballot
Who Can Use a Vote-by-Mail Ballot?
All registered voters are permitted to vote-by-mail under Florida Law and are no longer required to have an excuse unless issued on Election Day.
How Do I Receive a Vote-by-Mail Ballot?
Vote-by-mail ballots are not automatically mailed. To receive a vote-by-mail ballot a voter must have an active request on file with the Marion County Election Center. To check the status of your mail ballot request you can us at 352-620-3290 or look it up by using the Voter Registration Status Toolkit.
When is the Deadline to Request Vote-by-Mail?
A request for a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed to a voter must be received by the Marion County Election Center no later than 5 pm on the 12th day before the election. If the deadline has passed, the voter or designee still has the option of picking up a vote-by-mail ballot from the Election Center through Election Day. However, all mail ballots are still required to be received by the Election Center by 7 p.m. election night to be counted.
How do I Request to Vote-by-Mail?
Voters can request a vote-by-mail ballot for a specific election or for all elections up through the end of the calendar year of the next scheduled general election. Mail ballots cannot be forwarded so please make sure that the Election Center has your current mailing address on file or the specified address you would like to receive your mail ballot. A request for a ballot to be mailed to an address other than the voter’s address on file must be in writing and signed by the voter including the voter’s Florida driver license number or Florida ID card number or the last four digits of their social security number.
Please visit the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website for further details. You can also email the Vote-by-Mail Department here.