Florida
Florida Mail Ballot Requests Drop by Half Following State Election Integrity Laws
The number of vote-by-mail requests has been cut in half since 2022’s primaries, from over 4 million to 1.9 million this cycle The post Voting by mail has declined sharply in Florida, latest data show appeared first on The Florida…
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Key points
- Florida vote-by-mail ballot requests dropped from over 4 million in 2022 to 1.9 million for the current August primary cycle.
- Election integrity reforms enacted under Senate Bill 90 require Florida voters to renew mail ballot requests every even-numbered year.
- Completed mail ballots must be received by local supervisors of elections by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
Florida Sees Significant Shift in Mail-In Ballot Requests
NewsWK — As election season gets underway across Northwest Florida, state data reveals a substantial decline in vote-by-mail requests for Florida’s August primary elections. According to a report first published by The Florida Trib, the total number of requested mail ballots dropped from more than 4 million during the 2022 primaries to roughly 1.9 million this cycle.
The notable drop reflects both evolving voter preferences and legislative measures designed to strengthen election security across the state, including in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Impact of Election Integrity Legislation
A major factor driving the change is Senate Bill 90, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021. The statutory reform updated Florida’s election laws by requiring voters to renew their vote-by-mail requests every even-numbered election year, ending the previous practice where a single request could remain active across multiple election cycles.
Supporters of the law emphasize that periodic re-registration protects ballot integrity and ensures election rolls remain accurate. Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland explained that state lawmakers were “attempting to make sure that there wasn’t any potential for fraud,” as reported by The Florida Trib.
Holland added that election officials have worked extensively to notify citizens of the updated procedures through social media, broadcasts, mailings, and outreach so voters can easily renew their requests.
Shifting Voter Trends and Deadlines
Researchers also point to changing voter habits and national discussions surrounding election security as contributing factors. Sean Freeder, director of the public opinion research lab at the University of North Florida, told The Florida Trib that shifting commentary from political leaders has influenced how voters choose to cast their ballots.
“Republican voters hearing someone at the top of their party say over and over again that this is a problem, they might take that at face value and they may voluntarily decide to move away from mail-in voting,” Freeder said, noting that voters increasingly favor early in-person voting or voting at local precinct polls on Election Day.
While the deadline to request new vote-by-mail ballots for the upcoming primary has passed, voters in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, and across Northwest Florida who currently hold a mail ballot must ensure it is returned to their local supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting by Elijah Lott originally published by The Florida Trib. Read the original story.
