More than 15,000 mail ballots flagged in Florida – how to make sure yours is counted

TAMPA, Fla. - An advocacy group reports statewide more than 15,000 Vote-by-Mail ballots for the 2022 midterm election had been flagged as of the week before election day.

Common Cause Florida said of the 15,714 flagged ballots: 

• 9,090 had returned envelopes flagged for mismatched signatures
• 5,167 are missing signatures on the envelope
• 1,457 had other "voter caused errors"

"Our key message right now is that for all Floridians who are voting by mail, they should go and track their ballot online," Amy Keith, the program director of Common Cause Florida, said.

Signatures on election ballots must match voter's signature on file

Voters can track mail ballots themselves by calling their county supervisor of elections office or using the online trackers available in most counties. In Hillsborough County, election leaders said 250 ballots have already been corrected, but 400 still need to be.

"So, we would encourage people to contact our office. If you have any questions at all, we'll let you know. But you should have received correspondence from us already," Craig Latimer, the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, said.

It’s not too late to fix the issues, voters must cure their ballots by 5 p.m. on Nov. 10 to make sure the vote is counted. This process is done by completing a Vote by Mail Cure Affidavit with a copy of acceptable identification. 

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"The last election, we ultimately ended up with about 300 ballots that weren't accepted because there was no cure. That was totally voter responsibility," Latimer said.

Voters who have not yet returned their vote-by-mail ballot must do so by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.

MORE: Live turnout, ballot count results