Last Day To Register To Vote For Sarasota, North Port Elections Approaching

SARASOTA, FL – Residents in the cities of Sarasota and North Port have less than two weeks to make sure they are registered for special elections coming up in their municipalities.

The voter registration deadline for the Tuesday, May 9 municipal elections is Monday, April 10. Voter applications are available at all three election offices in Sarasota, Venice and North Port, at public libraries, military recruitment offices, public assistance offices or downloaded at www.SarasotaVotes.com.

An application can also be submitted through any driver license or tax collector’s office that issues Florida driver licenses or Florida ID cards.

Voters who have moved, changed names or need to update their signatures since the last election may also complete a voter registration application to update their records. Signature updates must be received by the elections office prior to the start of the canvass of vote-by-mail ballots, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2. Address and name changes may be made any time prior to voting.

Once an application is processed and approved, the elections office will notify the voter of his or her eligibility by sending a Voter Information Card that include the voter’s precinct and other important voting information.

Sample ballots for the May 9 municipal elections are also available online at www.SarasotaVotes.com. Visitors to the site can find the sample ballots by selecting the Online Sample Ballots link or choosing the Precinct Finder icon at the top of the home page.

During the March general election in Sarasota, none of the eight candidates vying for the two at-large City Commission seats earned more than 50 percent of the vote, forcing the run-off election. According to the City of Sarasota election rules, the top three vote-getters from the general election advance to the run-off election, with the two highest vote-getters winning the seats.

The North Port City Commission called a Special General Election for North Port Commissioner Seat 4 because of the registration of Jacqueline Moore.

For more information on the two municipal elections or for voter assistance, call (941) 861-8619.

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