The dramatic drop in requests for mail-in ballots proves two things: voter suppression works, and it is every Floridian’s job to protect access to the ballot box. Local election supervisors are doing what they can, but Florida voters must take care of themselves as they overcome these new hurdles.
Tampa Bay is facing a sharp decline in mail-in voting requests ahead of this year’s presidential election, thanks to changes in state law under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party-led Legislature. The sponsors believed the shift would make voter rolls more secure.
Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties received far fewer mail-in ballot requests for this year’s general election cycle than during the 2022 midterm elections, as Nina Moske of the Tampa Bay Times recently reported. As of last week, fewer than 42,000 Pasco voters had requested mail-in ballots for the general election, down from more than 124,400 requests two years ago.
Hillsborough reported fewer than 155,500 mail-in voting requests for elections this year, compared to more than 335,600 requests for the midterm elections. Pinellas reported about 232,900 requests this year, compared to more than 332,800 requests in 2022.
These declines of more than 50% illustrate the wrecking ball that lawmakers have deployed in the election process. Counties eliminated their existing ballot requests after the 2022 election due to a change in state law that requires voters to request a ballot every two years in each general election cycle.
Critics complain that these and other voting changes mainly affect low-income voters and those with limited transportation options, groups that tend to support Democrats. Abdelilah Skhir, senior strategist at the ACLU of Florida, said the decline this year could mean lower turnout from marginalized groups and casual voters, adding that the poor, elderly and people with limited mobility who already face higher barriers would be hit the hardest. to go to the polling station.
All this means extra work and extra initiative from both election offices and voters. Voting by mail is convenient, secure and extremely popular throughout Tampa Bay; in the 2022 general election, nearly half of voters in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas cast ballots by mail.
Registered voters can request a mail-in ballot up to twelve days before the election. With the primary election in August, county election supervisors are doing their best to reach voters to update their records. The Pasco Supervisor of Elections office has sent tens of thousands of postcards to voters whose requests have been cleared after 2022. Pinellas has sent more than 100,000 letters and emails reminding voters to reapply for mail-in ballots. Hillsborough has sent hundreds of thousands of notices to voters in multiple waves. Election officials also write columns in newspapers, communicate on social media and speak to community groups. These are commendable efforts to expand voter participation and should be pursued by local regulators.
Voters should contact their county elections office to request a ballot or check the status of their registration. This only takes a minute and many services are available online. Florida’s new restrictions are difficult, but voting by mail is still reliable, convenient and secure. This election year, don’t wait too long to be sure your vote counts.
Where can you request a mail-in ballot?
Voters can request a ballot or check the status of their registration by contacting their local elections office.
In Hillsborough, call 813-612-4180 or click here.
In Pasco, call 800-851-8754 or click here.
In Pinellas, call 727-464-8683 or click here.
Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the editorial board are editorial editor Graham Brink, Sherri Day, Sebastian Dortch, John Hill, Jim Verhulst and chairman and CEO Conan Gallaty. To follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.
