TAMPA, Fla. — According to the folks with the Democratic Black Caucus of Hillsborough County—there's one thing they want to make crystal clear to those who vote by mail.
"They need to renew their ballots," said the organization's President, Angela Birdsong.
It is in reference to the changes brought on by Senate Bill 90, which was signed into law in 2021.
SB 90 by ABC Action News on Scribd
Among other things, that law changes how often folks will have to request their mail-in ballot.
Previously, those requests covered two general election cycles. But now they only cover one.
This means if you put in a previous request, thinking you were covered for the 2022 and the 2024 general elections, you will now have to put in a new request to get your mail-in ballots for next year.
We sat down with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, Craig Latimer, who said they're seeing a steep drop in mail-in ballot requests. And he believes it's at least partly connected to voters not knowing about this law.
"Currently we have about 130,000 people that have requested a vote by mail ballot. That may sound like a lot of voters, but it's not. For instance, in 2020, we had 338,000 people who voted by mail during the pandemic. In 2022, we have 201,000 that voted by mail," he said.
However, Latimer also added that the fix is simple.
You can check your status and put in a new request, if needed, online or by calling their office.
And though it's tempting, he's urging those voters to avoid waiting too long.
"So, this is November, we have a presidential preference primary in March! We have ballots that are going out in February for that election. That's right around the corner," he said.
And it's a call the Democratic Black Caucus of Hillsborough County is echoing, literally, through phone banks to local voters.
"It's our job to get the word out to as many voters as we possibly can before our presidential election," Birdsong said.
Governor Ron DeSantis and other key Republican leaders in our state have touted Senate Bill 90 as a way to improve election integrity and transparency in Florida.
If you live in Florida and need help tracking down your local Supervisor of Elections Office, click here.
