Vote-by-Mail refers to voting a ballot received by mail or picked up by or for a voter instead of going to the polls to vote during early voting or election day. Any registered voter can Vote-by-Mail. You can request a Vote-by-Mail ballot for a specific election or for all elections through the next general election. After the next general election, you will need to make the request again.

A Vote-by-Mail ballot is not forwardable by the U.S. postal service and a ballot returned undeliverable cancels a request for future elections and must be renewed. Notify us immediately if your mailing address changes or if you plan to be out of town. We will send your ballot wherever you need to be.

By law, special accommodations are available for military and overseas voters and voters with disabilities.

Under the current Florida Laws, Vote-by-Mail requests are valid through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election.

Voters who wish to receive a Vote-by-Mail ballot for 2023 through 2024 elections are required to complete a new Vote-by-Mail ballot request.

REQUEST YOUR VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT:

Online
By Phone: (561) 656-6208
By Fax: (561) 656-6230
In person at any of our four offices

A fillable request form is available here in English and Spanish. Complete, sign, and return your request form by mail, fax (561) 656-6230, or as an attachment to email votebymail@votepalmbeach.gov.

Your Vote-by-Mail ballot may be sent to your legal residence address, permanent mailing address, or a temporary address.

When sending a Vote-by-Mail ballot to an address not on file with the Florida Voter Registration System, the request must be in writing and signed by the voter. The online mail ballot request service system will notify you if the address is not already on file and you will be prompted to print, sign and submit your request to our office.

TO REQUEST VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT FOR YOURSELF, YOU MUST PROVIDE:

Your full name, address, date of birth, Florida Driver's License or ID number, or the last four digits of the elector's Social Security number, whichever may be verified in our records
Your mailing address (if applicable; ballots cannot be forwarded. Be sure to provide your current mailing address.)
Your voter registration number (optional)
The election or elections for which the Vote-by-Mail ballot is being requested
Your Signature (written request)

TO REQUEST VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT FOR SOMEONE ELSE, YOU MUST PROVIDE:

Voter's name, home address, date of birth, and Florida Driver's License or ID number, or the last four digits of the elector's Social Security number, whichever may be verified in our records
Requester's relationship to the voter
Requester's name and address
Requester's Driver License number, ID number, or the last four digits of the requester's Social Security number (if available)
Requester's signature (for written requests)

The deadline to request that a Vote-by-Mail ballot be mailed to you is no later than 5:00 p.m. on the tenth (10th) day before election day (§101.62(2), F.S.). We must receive the vote by mail ballot request by 5:00 p.m., a postmarked vote-by-mail ballot request is not valid. If you miss the deadline, you can visit one of our offices and we will print a mail ballot for you until 5:00 pm on the day before election day. Or you can vote in person on Election Day.

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DEADLINE TO REQUEST

The deadline to request that a Vote-by-Mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5 p.m. on the tenth (10th) day before election day.

A voter can pick up or have delivered their own Vote-by-Mail ballot at any time the ballot becomes available, including on Election Day. A voter can authorize in writing for someone else (a designee) to pick up the voter's ballot. The designee must submit an affidavit to pick up a ballot for a voter. The earliest a designee can pick up the voter's ballot is nine days before Election Day. Your designee will need to provide us with a written request from you and a photo ID, and will need to complete an affidavit ENG/SPA.

If a voter or designee waits until Election Day to pick up or have delivered a vote-by-mail ballot, the Election Day Vote-by-Mail Ballot Delivery Affidavit must also be completed. The voter must affirm that an emergency exists that keeps the voter from being able to vote at his or her assigned polling place.

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TRACKING YOUR BALLOT

Voters can continue to check their mail ballot status on the "My Status" button but now have the added option to sign up for email, SMS (text), or voice call alerts at www.VotePalmBeachBallotTrax.com.

Once a voter has signed up, they will receive notifications for when their ballot has been printed, mailed, and counted. Voters will also be alerted if there is an issue with their ballot and notified to contact the elections office to ensure their vote is counted. Voters may opt-out at any time and personal information will be kept confidential and will not be sold or disclosed to third parties.

Voters whose registration record is protected will not be able to receive updates via “BallotTrax” however they are encouraged to click here to sign up for the USPS informed delivery feature.

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If it's in the mail, it's in your email.

Just one more step in ensuring your Vote-by-Mail ballot reaches you without issue.

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VOTING YOUR VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT

Detailed instructions are included with the Vote-by-Mail ballot, please follow them carefully. Make sure to include your signature or legal mark on the Voter's Certificate Envelope, as failure to do so may cause your ballot not to count.

You must personally vote your own ballot unless assistance is required due to blindness, disability, or inability to read or write. A signature as Power of Attorney will not be accepted and the ballot will not be counted.

If you are filling out your Vote-by-Mail ballot and you make a mistake, let us know immediately so that we can send you a replacement ballot. Whether voting by mail or at the polling place, voters can receive up to two replacements ballots before their ballot has been cast. Once the ballot has been mailed to our office, dropped in a ballot box, or inserted into a ballot scanning machine, your ballot has been cast and no replacements can be issued.

If you decide to go to the polls to vote instead of voting your Vote-by-Mail ballot, bring your Vote-by-Mail ballot (marked or not) with you. The Vote-by-Mail ballot will be cancelled and you can vote a regular ballot. If you arrive to the polls without your Vote-by-Mail ballot, our office will need to confirm that we have not received your Vote-by-Mail ballot in order for you to be able to vote a regular ballot. If the office has received your Vote-by-Mail ballot, you cannot vote a regular ballot. However, if you believe that you have not already voted, you will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot.

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RETURNING YOUR VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT

Don't forget to put your ballot in the return envelope provided and sign the envelope.

If you plan to mail your ballot back to us, you should allow at least one week for your ballot to reach our office. You can also drop your ballot off in-person at any of our offices during office hours, or Early Voting sites during Early Voting hours. Your ballot must be received by the Supervisor of Elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day for it to be counted. On Election Day our Main Office in West Palm Beach is open until 7 p.m. and our outer offices will close at 5 p.m.

When we receive your ballot, we check your signature against the signature you submitted when you registered to vote. If your signature has changed, you'll need to use an online voter registration application to bring your Florida Driver License or Florida ID signature into your voter record, or a paper voter registration application to update your signature.

If you returned your Vote-by-Mail ballot but forgot to sign the envelope, or if there is a discrepancy with your signature, you need to complete and return a signature affidavit (DS-DE 139) with a copy of your current and valid ID. Please follow the instructions on the form carefully, as failure to follow these instructions may cause your ballot not to count.

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More information about voting by mail can be found on the Florida Division of Elections website.