{"id":444488,"date":"2026-11-01T19:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T19:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/444488\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T19:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T19:44:09","slug":"seminole-among-florida-counties-seeing-vote-by-mail-delays-orlando-sentinel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/444488\/","title":{"rendered":"Seminole among Florida counties seeing vote-by-mail delays \u2013 Orlando Sentinel"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story is from the News Collaborative of Central Florida, a group of local independent news outlets working toward a more informed and engaged Central Florida. It was produced by WKMG-News 6 \/ ClickOrlando.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Some Florida county election officials are trying to figure out why hundreds of voters are seeing delays in getting their vote-by-mail ballots through the U.S. Postal Service.<\/p>\n

Seminole County\u2019s Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock says they had to issue over 500 replacement ballots for voters who had not received their ballots in the mail.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other day, we dealt with a requester who it took them seven days to receive a vote-by-mail ballot that was mailed from my office here in Sanford to their house here in Sanford. That\u2019s one example,\u201d Pennock said.<\/p>\n

She also said her office is getting at least 20 calls a day, and an equal amount of emails, from people asking about the status of their ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Why haven\u2019t you received my vote, my mail ballot? Why haven\u2019t you counted it?\u2019 And so it has been one of the largest problems that we have experienced so far this election,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Pennock\u2019s office is not the only one reporting issues. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Broward County\u2019s elections supervisor, Joe Scott, said he was hearing from residents about unusually long delays with vote-by-mail ballots.<\/p>\n

In fact, Scott said his son\u2019s own ballot took 12 days to get to the Broward County elections office from Orlando.<\/p>\n

South Florida NPR station WLRN reports that similar issues have been reported in Monroe County, where Key West is located.<\/p>\n

The issue is an urgent one as the clock ticks toward 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Florida requires all vote-by-mail ballots to be in the county election offices by then, with the exception of overseas ballots.<\/p>\n

So far, though, Seminole County is the only Central Florida county dealing with the issue. Supervisors from Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Volusia counties tell News 6 they were not seeing similar issues.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s causing it?<\/p>\n

The cause of the issue remains unclear.<\/p>\n

Pennock said she has not spoken to the U.S. Postal Service yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we deliver the ballots to the post office for delivery, we don\u2019t have control over them, and so it\u2019s a big unknown to me,\u201d Pennock said.<\/p>\n

News 6 received this statement from a U.S. Postal Service spokesperson:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are any number of factors that may impact the timeliness of a mailpiece. Postal employees take seriously their role in processing and transporting mail in a timely manner, and we work diligently to do so year-round.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal postal management reports that we are currently experiencing no delays in our processing or delivery facilities for Seminole County. Without a review of the actual mailpieces involved, the Postal Service is unable to comment further. We will continue to communicate with state and local election officials as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The South Florida Sun Sentinel says a postal service spokesperson said there were no issues or delays being reported in Broward and Monroe counties, and all mail was being delivered as received.<\/p>\n

Broward Supervisor Joe Scott told the Sun Sentinel that USPS was not being transparent and was not working with his office as it had in years past.<\/p>\n

However, Central Florida election supervisors are not reporting any problems with their local postal service liaisons.<\/p>\n

What should you do with your ballot?<\/p>\n

Pennock said the issues were a blip in an otherwise busy election season. Turnout in Seminole County so far is at 31.52%, exceeding 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are at 74% return rate on vote-by-mail ballots, which exceeds the entirety of the 2018 and 2022 election cycles,\u201d Pennock said.<\/p>\n

If you have not sent your vote-by-mail ballot back yet, Pennock said it\u2019s probably too late to do so, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t turn that ballot in in person.<\/p>\n

On Election Day, however, you have to either turn your ballot in at the county elections office, or surrender it at your polling place and vote on a regular ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then Election Day, and I know the voters\u2019 preference was vote-by-mail because that\u2019s why they asked for it, but we haven\u2019t received it yet. I would recommend, to make sure your ballot has been cast, that you go vote in person,\u201d Pennock said.<\/p>\n

How to track your ballot<\/p>\n

Voters who have sent in their ballot should check Ballot Trax to make sure their ballot has made it back to the elections office and has been accepted. Most counties in Central Florida use the program to track vote-by-mail ballots.<\/p>\n

Watch for cure ballot requests<\/p>\n

Pennock is also asking voters to be on the lookout for any emails, letters, or calls from their county elections offices if there is an issue with a vote-by-mail ballot, especially if there\u2019s a signature mismatch.<\/p>\n

Pennock says more than 300 Seminole County voters have received requests to fill out cure affidavits so the elections office can count their ballots.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we need you to do is fill out the cure affidavit and provide a piece of identification, and that will allow us to accept your ballot,\u201d Pennock said. \u201cSo please don\u2019t disregard a phone call, an e-mail from us. We want to make sure your ballot is cast in this election. You\u2019ve done your part. There\u2019s just a little bit more that we need from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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