The general election will be held on November 7, and I sincerely hope the turnout is better than it was for the primary on September 5. Barely 15 percent of eligible voters in Palm Beach County took the time to vote in the primary, and that bothers me. So many important decisions affecting our future were left in the hands of a relative few who chose to vote.
The November general election will determine many important races: our next governor of Florida, state and U.S. senators and representatives, local judgeships, the County Tax Collector and two seats on the County Commission. Folks, please take the time to vote. It’s important.
The deadline to register is October 10, and if you have not voted in a few years, it is possible you may no longer be on the voter registration rolls. Please make sure of your eligibility by contacting the Supervisor of Elections Office at 656-6200 before October 10.
If you will be out of town or won’t be able to get to the polls on November 7, there are two other ways to cast your ballot. Early voting will again be held at select locations throughout Palm Beach County. For the primary, early voting sites in District 2 were the Supervisor’s Office on Military Trail and the County branch libraries on Summit and Okeechobee boulevards. Locations for the general election will be announced soon.
To take advantage of early voting, simply go to any early polling center (it does not have to be the one nearest your home) with your current photo ID. You are not required to present your voter registration card, but it is helpful. Voting is done on the same electronic touch-screen machines used on Election Day.
If you prefer to vote via absentee ballot, you can request one in person at the Supervisor’s Office, in writing, by phone at 656-6200, or on the Supervisor’s Web site, pbcelections.org. The street address is 240 S. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415 (northeast corner of Gun Club Road and Military Trail).
When you receive your absentee ballot, fill it out completely, be sure to sign the front of the envelope and mail it back. If you prefer, you can return it in person to the Supervisor’s Office.
If November 7 rolls around and you somehow forgot to fill out the absentee ballot or to mail it, you still have a couple of options:
1) Take your completed absentee ballot to the Supervisor’s Office yourself. (Note: At this point do not try to mail it. To be counted, an absentee ballot must be received by the Supervisor’s Office no later than 7 p.m. on November 7.)
2) If it is not convenient to get to the Supervisor’s Office in person on Election Day, you can “surrender” your absentee ballot by bringing it to your assigned voting precinct. There, once your eligibility is confirmed, the absentee ballot will be canceled, and you will be allowed to vote on one of the touch-screen machines.
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 656-6200. Remember -- voting is more than a privilege guaranteed by the Constitution. It is an obligation that each and every one of us must do our utmost to meet. Please vote on November 7.
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Government
