Supervisor of Elections: Drop in mail-in ballots for primary election 'significant'

As voters head to the polls Sunday, Aug. 18, for the final day of early voting ahead of Tuesday's primary election , the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office reports that the number of voters who requested mail-in ballots this year has dropped considerably compared to the 2022 gubernatorial election.

This year in Palm Beach County, there were about 183,000 mail-in ballot requests compared to 328,000 in 2022, according to Supervisor of Elections Chief Wendy Sartory Link.

"That's significant," she said. "Of course, we always want more voters, and generally things have been going very smoothly through early voting, but the numbers of mail-in votes is a big drop from two years ago and generally speaking, a presidential year will outpace other years."

Through 4 p.m., Friday, there has been 82,863 mail-in votes cast for the primary elections in Palm Beach County, compared to more than 132,761 people in 2022 who voted by mail. The number will see an increase during the final days of voting.

Sartory Link attributes that to a change in Florida law that has changed the way those voters register.

In theory, voting by mail remains straightforward: Request a ballot, fill it out and mail it back, but a recent change in the requesting procedure has altered the process.

Previously, those who wished to continue voting by mail would check a box at the bottom of the ballot indicating they wished to continue the process in the next election. Now, if you want to receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the upcoming election cycle, which occurs ever two years after the general election, you had to have completed a new vote-by-mail request, via a written form, on line form or phone call.

"Previously, it was very easy to request a mail-in ballot," Sartory Link said. "We've done a lot of outreach and advertising to get the word out on what you need to do."

It might seem like a trivial addition to the procedure, but the drop in numbers show that the change has created some issues for would-be mail-in voters.

Still, mail ballots strongly remained the preferred method of voting ahead of election day among Palm Beach County voters; As of 4 p.m., Friday, 81.2% of voters who cast a ballot before Tuesday did so in this fashion.

Mail ballots can still be requested Monday and Tuesday, but must be picked up at the county elections office in person and returned to the West Palm Beach elections office by 7 p.m. Tuesday or at the satellite offices in Palm Beach Gardens, Delray Beach or Belle Glade by 5 p.m. that day.

Election 2024: Flood of misinformation has 'reached a level of absurdity'

Sartory Link said the biggest frustration the past few years, including this year's election, has been the endless barrage of election misinformation that circulates and that she continued to swat away.

"Trust me, this is the most transparent and welcoming process, and we want it to be that way," she said. "We welcome anyone to come down to any of the voting sites and observe how we are doing things.

"But the amount of misinformation about elections that flies around does nothing to help the process. It has reached the level of absurdity at this point. What happens when election deniers spread lies and doubt about the election process just hurts everyone."

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Sartory Link said that poisoning of the well began in about 2021 and has continued to worsen each year.

"It's a shame," she said. "There just is no legitimate purpose for it. It only creates confusion, concern and doubt."

She gave an example of one of the many doubts that deniers place in voters' heads.

"People will put it out there that if a poll worker marks something on your ballot, then the ballot it is invalid," she said. "That simply is not true. First of all, they don't do that, and second, even if they did write something on it, it does not affect the validity. The only thing the machine reads are the filled-in ovals for each race. Nothing else."

Election 2024: 'Drop boxes' replaced by 'secure ballot intake stations'

Another new wrinkle that has been in play is the boxes where ballots can be deposited at voting stations.

The "secure ballot intake stations” that replaced the name "drop boxes" are at all voting stations because of a recent law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Drop boxes became popular when COVID-19 was prominent and the popularity of voting by mail surged, especially among Democrats. Many voters dropped their ballots into secure metal boxes outside election offices.

The concept, however, remains the same. Voters can drop off ballots at a "secure ballot intake station" rather than a "drop box." The new law also requires the stations to be monitored by election personnel. Previously, the boxes could be unmanned but cameras were used to record all activity.

Sartory Link said her office is required to have two staffers at each station during the voting process.

Election 2024: Sunday is final day for early voting

Sunday is the final day for early voting for the Florida primary. Voters can cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 23 locations in Palm Beach County.

With early voting, unlike voting at polling places on Election Day, voters from anywhere in the county can cast ballots at any one of the sites. But they must be able to prove their identity and voting address to receive the correct ballot.

Voters must bring at least one valid form of identification that includes their signature and photo. Some acceptable forms of identification include a driver's license, a student ID, a U.S. passport, a Florida ID card, military ID or a government-issued employee ID.

Election day polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20. People must vote in their assigned polling place on Tuesday.

Sartory Link said her staff at the new supervisor of elections office on Cherry Road have been working seven days a week to ensure smooth early-voting and election-day processes.

"It's a busy time, but this is what we do," she said. "We have such a good team and we want to continue to make voting safe and easier for people. We have a beautiful new building that is comfortable and welcoming. We invite everyone to come down, ask questions and understand the process."

James Coleman is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post , part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11 . Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Supervisor of Elections: Drop in mail-in ballots for primary election 'significant'