Little know fact: Any eligible voter in Florida can vote by absentee ballot; no excuse needed. Voting by mail has become increasingly popular in Florida because it is so convenient, but no community has taken to the rule as much as Pinellas County.
In 2014, over 204,000 people in Pinellas County voted by mail during the General Election. Already, for the 2016 primary election, the county has mailed out over 204,000 ballots again, and expects to send even more before the upcoming deadline.
"It comes directly to your home you don;t have to worry about the weather or the kids going to school or something coming up at work," explains Pinellas County Deputy Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus to ABC Action News. "You get to vote at your convenience on your time," she adds, pointing out that they can mail the ballot to wherever is necessary, and as long as it gets to their office by primary day, March 15th, it will be counted.
The deadline for voters to request a ballot be mailed to them is March 9.
Learn more about Florida absentee voting by clicking HERE.
Pinellas County is one of only three counties in Florida that had more votes by mail than in-person in 2014. That's been the trend in Pinellas since 2010. By comparison, here's the number of mail-in ballots from some neighboring counties in 2014:
Hillsborough County: 131,659
Manatee County: 45,344
Pasco County: 46,912
Polk County: 60,309
