Seminole County Issues 500 Replacement Ballots

Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock issued more than 500 replacement ballots to voters who had not received their mailed ballots. Her office in Sanford is handling at least 20 phone calls and 20 emails daily from residents asking about their voting status. Pennock noted that one voter in Sanford waited seven days for a ballot that originated at her office.

The postal delays are part of a wider pattern across the state. In Broward County, supervisor Joe Scott reported that his son's ballot took 12 days to travel from Orlando to the local elections office. Monroe County, which includes Key West, has also reported similar issues according to WLRN. News 6 reported that supervisors in Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Volusia counties are not seeing comparable problems.

The cause of the delays remains unclear. Pennock said her office has not yet spoken with the U.S. Postal Service. She explained that once ballots are handed to the post office, the elections office loses control of the delivery process. A USPS spokesperson told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that no issues were reported in Broward or Monroe counties and that mail was being delivered as received. Scott, however, said the Postal Service was not being transparent and was not cooperating with his office as it had in previous years.

Florida law requires all vote-by-mail ballots to be in the county election offices by 7 p.m. on November 3. Overseas ballots are the only exception. In Seminole County, the current turnout stands at 31.52%, which is higher than the 2022 election. The return rate for vote-by-mail ballots is 74%, exceeding the totals from the 2018 and 2022 cycles.

Pennock advised voters who have not yet sent in their ballots that it may be too late for mail delivery but not for in-person voting. Early voting locations in Central Florida have Secure Ballot Intake Stations open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday. On Election Day, voters must either turn in their ballot at the county elections office or surrender it at their polling place to vote on a regular paper ballot.

More than 300 voters in Seminole County have received requests to fill out cure affidavits to resolve signature mismatches. Pennock said these forms can be emailed to her office. Voters have until two days after the election to submit the affidavit along with a piece of identification. She urged residents not to ignore communications from the elections office to ensure their votes are counted.

Voters who have already mailed their ballots are advised to check the Ballot Trax program to confirm their ballot has been received and accepted. Most Central Florida counties use this system to track the status of vote-by-mail ballots.