Ways to make sure your vote counts
The deadline to request that a mail ballot be sent to you for the March 14 municipal elections is 5 pm Saturday.
I went to vote with a chicken-scratch signature bearing no resemblance to the 10-year-old driver’s license I presented as ID. I expected a suspicious side-eye from the poll worker charged with ensuring I was the real Beall, and I got it.
Matching a signature on an official document to the voter registration signature on file at the Supervisor of Elections Office is a security measure, whether voting in person or by mail.
But it can be a challenge to voters under 30, who rarely sign anything; voters over 60, whose handwriting changes with age; and everyone in between. Mismatched signatures are not the largest cause of mail ballot rejections – deadlines and absent signatures play a bigger role — but they are one of the most subjective.
Palm Beach County’s supervisor of elections has some suggestions:
Update your registration: You can do this in person or use this online voter registration application. It will automatically add the signature from your driver’s license or Florida ID card to your voter record.
Or obtain a new DL: A new driver’s license signature will appear as your voter registration signature with the supervisor if you choose to update your voter registration during your DMV visit.
Chicken scratch is OK: Your mark does not have to be a cursive signature. No one is taught handwriting anymore. Different cultures may have different ways of signing. The important thing is the match.
Good to know: When you request a mail ballot — and this now must be done after each general election — your signature on the mail ballot application is the one that will be used when comparing your completed ballot.
Even better: If your two signatures do not match, and your ballot is not accepted, you have an opportunity to “cure” the problem with an affidavit. The affidavit must be returned to the SOE office, with an appropriate ID, no later than 5 pm the second day after the election.
Finally: Take a deep breath before signing. Stress can alter your signature.
Questions? Read more on voting by mail, here. Or call the supervisor’s office. Few things make an election worker happier than helping you cast your vote
The deadline to request that a mail ballot be sent to you for the upcoming municipal elections: 5 pm Saturday, March 4.
The absolute last day to get your mail ballot submitted for counting: It has to be in the hands of the SOE no later than 7 pm Tuesday, March 14.
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