We all make mistakes.
But what if you made a mistake filling out your ballot for this year’s general election? Maybe you accidentally brought in the wrong candidate. Or you crossed out your mistake and circled your final choice, underlining it in red ink for good measure.
This is what you need to do:
Errors at early voting polling places
If you are at an early voting location through November 3 or are in your precinct on Election Day on November 5 and you make a mistake filling out your ballot, notify a poll worker and request a new ballot. Your ballot will be declared invalid and you will be given a new ballot so you can start over.
LEARN MORE: Want to vote before Election Day in South Florida? Here’s where – and tips to follow
Tips: View and check both sides of your ballot. Indicate your choice; do not circle, underline or scratch out.
Errors in a mail-in ballot
The deadline to request a ballot was October 24. But that’s not the deadline to return or request a replacement ballot if your ballot arrives damaged or lost in the mail, or you haphazardly marked it at home.
If you marked your ballot incorrectly:
â–ª Contact your county elections department to request a replacement ballot. If you mess up a lot, you are entitled to up to three replacement ballots.
Tip: The deadline to return your vote by mail is 7:00 PM, Election Day, November 5. But you will need to make sure your replacement ballot reaches you by mail, then fill it out correctly and return it. Don’t wait until just before or on Election Day to request a replacement ballot and return it by mail.
â–ª What if you’ve already sent your ballot in the mail and then realize you made a mistake? If you mismark the ballot and return it to the elections department, it may be too late as your ballot will be counted after it is received and scanned into the system. But you can still try contacting your elections department to troubleshoot the error, or they can contact you.
A list of all Florida’s Supervisor of Elections offices with links to contact them can be found at MyFloridaElections.com.
– In Miami-Dade email votebymail@miamidade.gov. Call 305-499-8444 or visit Miami-Dade’s website at www.miamidade.gov/global/elections/home.page.
– In Broward email VBMrequest@BrowardVotes.gov. Call 954-357-7055. Or visit Broward’s website at browardvotes.gov/.
— In Monroe, the Florida Keys Elections Office offers an online portal at www.keyselections.org to receive a mail-in ballot and answer other voting questions.
Vote in person: If you realize you made a mistake and choose not to request a replacement ballot, you can go to an early voting location and vote until November 3 in Miami-Dade and Broward and November 2 in Monroe. Or go to your district on Election Day, November 5, and vote there.
Bring your mismarked or damaged ballot so it can be thrown away, but that is not required. Once your vote is received in person or by receipt of the mail-in ballot and entered into the system, the computer activates and accepts only the first voted ballot. A duplicate vote would be ruled out by the system, the election department said.
Tip: You cannot drop off your ballot at your designated polling station on election day. If you wait until Election Day to return it, the ballot can only be submitted to your county elections office.
Where can you vote early? Here is a list of locations in Miami-Dade, Broward and the Keys
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