Vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 3 General Election will start to hit Southwest Florida mailboxes this week.<\/p>\n
The Lee County Elections Office is gearing up to mail out the initial batch of domestic vote-by-mail ballots on Sept. 29. Military and overseas vote-by-mail ballots went out on Sept. 18.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also ensuring our poll workers are thoroughly trained for the upcoming election; the first training class begins (Thursday),\u201d said Lee County Supervisor of Elections Jenna Persons-Mulicka. \u201cOur team is also gearing up for the public Logic and Accuracy Testing of the voting machines, scheduled for Oct. 9.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the Primary, Persons-Mulicka called it \u201csuccessful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of our voters reached out to let us know that they had a great voting experience,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are not looking at making any major changes to the process. Voters will experience the same for the General as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those looking to secure a vote-by-mail ballot, the deadline to make a request for the General Election is 5 p.m. on Oct. 22. The deadline to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the number of voters that cast their ballot via mail, Persons-Mulicka said Lee County has seen a slight decline in voting by mail over the last few election cycles; however, it remains a popular method of voting for the majority of voters.<\/p>\n
As for the security of vote-by-mail ballots, Persons-Mulicka said, \u201cVoters can be confident that their votes are secure and will be counted accurately. Every returned ballot undergoes signature verification before it can be counted. Our office also maintains a record of every vote-by-mail ballot requested, mailed, received, and tabulated, and voters can track their ballot status on our website.\u201d<\/p>\n
Persons-Mulicka said voting by mail is one of the three voting methods available to voters in Florida.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is essential to our election process and a convenient way for many of our voters to cast their ballots, including, but not limited to, voters with disabilities, as well as our military and overseas voters,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Early Voting period for the General Election runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 31, 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n
Race information for the General Election includes:<\/p>\n
Captiva Erosion Prevention District<\/p>\n
\u2022 Margarethe Thye-Milville and John Raburn Dupre <\/p>\n
Lee County Supervisor of Elections<\/p>\n
\u2022 Incumbent Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R) and Chris Vignieri (D)<\/p>\n
United States Senator<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ashley Moody (R); Angie Nixon (D); Neil J. Gillespie (NPA)<\/p>\n
District 19 Representative in Congress<\/p>\n
\u2022 Jim Schwartzel (R) and Victor Arias (D)<\/p>\n
Governor<\/p>\n
\u2022 Byron Donalds (R); David Jolly (D); Scott Eckhard Jewett (LPF); Charles Burkett (NPA); Frank J. Russo (NPA); Moliere \u201cMoe\u201d Dimanche (NPA); Dean Ocean Abrams (NPA); Jeffrey Peter \u201cDr. Jeff\u201d Datto (NPA)<\/p>\n
Commissioner of Agriculture<\/p>\n
\u2022 Wilton Simpson (R) and Joey Mendoza Atkins (D)<\/p>\n
Attorney General<\/p>\n
\u2022 Incumbent James Uthmeier (R) and Jose Javier Rodriguez (D)<\/p>\n
Chief Financial Officer<\/p>\n
\u2022 Incumbent Blaise Ingoglia (R) and Annette Taddeo (D)<\/p>\n