Pasco County To Send Out Vote-By-Mail Ballots For Primary Feb. 6

PASCO COUNTY, FL — Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian E. Corley announced that on Thursday, Feb. 6, more than 55,000 vote-by-mail ballots for the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary will be mailed to voters with requests already on file.

Ballots to uniformed and overseas citizens were mailed Jan. 31.

Voted ballots must be returned to the elections' office by 7 p.m. Election Day. Allow sufficient time for first-class delivery by the US Postal Service, or hand deliver ballots to any of the three Supervisor of Elections' offices in Pasco County.

Voted ballots are also accepted at early voting sites, but may not be turned in at the polls on Election Day. Information on office locations and early voting sites is available on the elections website.

For eligible voters who did not previously request a ballot, they are still available by calling the elections' office, by submitting the request in writing or by using the online request form. Written requests must include the voter's date of birth, signature and Pasco County residence address.

Vote-by-mail ballots cannot be forwarded but can be mailed to a temporary mailing address if outside of Pasco County. Voters are encouraged to confirm their mailing address when ordering a vote-by-mail ballot. Requests are fulfilled immediately, with ballots being mailed daily. The deadline to request a ballot to be mailed is 5 p.m. Saturday, March 7. Requests for vote-by-mail ballots must come from the voter, or an immediate family member or legal guardian on behalf of a voter.

Voters may pick up ballots for themselves at any of the three elections offices beginning Feb. 6, but not for someone else until nine days before the election, Sunday, March 8. Those picking up ballots on behalf of someone will need a written request from the voter, designating them as the person authorized to obtain a ballot. The designee will be asked to provide a photo ID and to complete an affidavit before releasing the ballot to them.

Sample ballots for the Presidential Preference Primary are now available online and will be mailed to Pasco County voters on Feb. 21.

Florida is a closed primary state which means the only candidates on your ballot will be those that are the same party affiliation as your voter registration. The PPP is for Democrat and Republican voters. There are no ballots for nonpartisan or minor party affiliates in this election.

If you wish to change your party, the deadline is Feb. 18.

If your voter registration is not up to date with a current address, you will not receive your sample ballot in the mail. Sample ballots are mailed to the address of record on file. To update your address, call 800-851-8754 or visit the website.

Presidential candidates on the Democrat ballot are:

• Michael Bennet
• Joe Biden
• Michael R. Bloomberg
• Cory Booker
• Pete Buttigieg
• Julián Castro
• John Delaney
• Tulsi Gabbard
• Amy Klobuchar
• Deval Patrick
• Bernie Sanders
• Joe Sestak
• Tom Steyer
• Elizabeth Warren
• Marianne Williamson
• Andrew Yang

Candidates on the Republic ballot are:

• Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente
• Donald J. Trump
• Joe Walsh
• Bill Weld.