Are You Ready To Vote?

July 23, 2010

Are you election-ready?

From party primaries for Florida’s next U.S. senator, governor and cabinet, state legislative delegation, county commission, and ECUA, to non-partisan races for school board, circuit judge, and Pensacola’s first “strong mayor,” a wide array of important contests are up for grabs in the August 24th primary election. With the election rapidly approaching, it is important that you prepare to exercise one of your most fundamental rights as an American.

If you are not registered to vote, you must do so by Monday, July 26th. If you are unsure of your registration status, you can visit EscambiaVotes.com and click ‘Am I Registered?’ to find out. We need to know if you recently moved, changed your name, or wish to change political parties. Florida is a closed primary state, which means that in order to vote in a party’s primary, you must be a registered member of that party no later than July 26th.

At EscambiaVotes.com, you can also view your sample ballot, locate your polling place (several have changed since 2008), learn how to cast your vote, request an absentee ballot, and follow the progress of that ballot by clicking ‘Track My Ballot’. You can confirm that we have your request, check the date your ballot was mailed, and verify when it is received back in our office. It is a valuable new tool, especially for our men and women in uniform deployed across the globe.

There are three different ways to cast your ballot:

* Vote by mail, by requesting an absentee ballot and returning it to our office before the polls close
* Vote early at any one of four locations in Escambia County, beginning August 9th
* Vote at your precinct between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Election Day

In the 2008 general election, early votes and absentee ballots together totaled more than half of all ballots cast. In other words, more votes in Escambia County were cast before the polls opened than on Election Day.

If you vote in person during early voting or on Election Day, you will receive a paper ballot to complete and insert into a digital scanner. For voters with disabilities, a touchscreen with an audio ballot feature is also available at each polling place. Be sure to bring your photo and signature ID with you to the polls.

So, check your registration status, request an absentee ballot if you wish, familiarize yourself with the candidates, locate your polling place or nearest early voting site, and be on the lookout for your sample ballot in the mail within the next few weeks. If you have any questions or need more information, call 595-3900 or visit EscambiaVotes.com. We’ll see you at the polls!

David H. Stafford

Escambia County Supervisor of Elections

Comments

2 Responses to “Are You Ready To Vote?”

  1. tlad on July 24th, 2010 6:57 pm

    Almost all of the candidates have websites. Shame on the ones who do not. The websites are informative and interesting. . . especially helpful if you want to, at the very least, find out about the candidates before voting – I’m glad I did!

  2. JUDY MASEK on July 23rd, 2010 9:17 am

    glad you posted this story!….i had forgot that i had moved and needed to change my info…thx

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News