News Release: Over 50,000 Absentee Ballots Requested in Collier County for the 2012 General Election

Absentee ballot requests equal nearly 30% of registered voters in the county

Collier County, FL-October 19, 2012: To date, more than 50,000 registered voters in Collier County have requested mail/absentee ballots for the 2012 General Election, which is almost 30% of all registered voters in the county. This count already exceeds absentee requests from the last presidential election in 2008, by approximately 7,000, with 18 days remaining until Election Day. So far, nearly 17,700 mail/absentee ballots have been cast. Real-time updates of the total ballots cast can be tracked at the CollierVotes.com “Voter Turnout” page.

The Collier County Supervisor of Elections urges voters to return their voted absentee ballots properly. Every valid absentee ballot will be counted, and following a few key tips will help ensure that a voter’s absentee ballot will be deemed valid.

The Elections office’s tips for voting absentee:

• Voted ballots returned by mail require postage of 65 cents. Voted ballots can also be dropped off at the main Elections office in the Collier Government Complex or the Orange Blossom branch office.
• Voters must use the official, white, ballot return envelope and personally sign where indicated on the outside of the envelope.
• After marking the absentee ballot, voters should place the ballot pages inside the enclosed green secrecy sleeve (also referred to as a secrecy envelope), however, the lack of a secrecy sleeve or envelope DOES NOT invalidate a ballot.
• Voted absentee ballots must be returned to the Elections office by 7:00pm on Election Day, November 6th (eligible overseas ballots must be received by Nov. 16th).
• Voters can track their returned absentee ballot, or find out when their requested ballot was mailed, online at the CollierVotes.com "Am I Registered" web page.
• If a voter thinks their signature may have changed since registering to vote, he or she should update their signature with the Elections office by completing a voter registration application. The signature on the absentee ballot envelope must match the voter’s signature of record.
• For additional absentee voting tips and instructions, voters can go to the CollierVotes.com "Mail/Absentee" information page, or call the Elections office at (239) 252-8450.

The Elections office anticipates a high voter turnout and long lines at the polls, in part due to a three-page ballot. Though the office will deploy all available voting equipment during early voting and Election Day, wait times are expected and can be avoided if voting absentee.  

Voters may submit absentee requests online via the CollierVotes.com "Vote by Mail" web page and by phone or in person to the Supervisor of Elections office. A voter’s immediate family member can also make the request. The deadline to request a General Election absentee ballot to be delivered by mail is October 31st at 5:00pm. After that date, voters can pick up their absentee ballots at the Supervisor of Elections office after calling in their request.

For more details, and to update voter information, visit www.CollierVotes.com or call the Elections office at (239) 252-8450.