Early primary voting in Alachua County will be from Aug. 3 through Aug. 15. Polling locations will be open for early voting from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and can be found on the Supervisor of Elections website.
The deadline to request a mail ballot for the general election in November is 5 p.m. Saturday.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in mail ballot requests in Alachua County.As of Friday, more than 75,000 of the county’s 190,000 voters registered for November’s election requested a mail ballot. Nearly 45,000 mail ballots have already been received for the general election in November. In the 2016 general election, only about 29,000 Alachua County residents voted by mail.
Voters registered for November’s election in Alachua County can request a mail ballot from the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website. Residents of other Florida counties can register for a mail ballot at their county’s supervisor of elections website. The deadline to register to vote for this November’s election was Oct. 5.
The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections recommends voters return mail ballots through the postal service before Oct. 27 to ensure they arrive on time. Mail ballots must be received by the office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Voters can also drop mail ballots off at drop boxes located at all six early voting locations.
Registered voters can also request a mail ballot in person at the Supervisor of Elections office, or by mail by printing out the form on the website and mailing it to the office. The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office is at 515 N. Main St. in Gainesville The form is also available in Spanish.
Alachua County also has six early voting locations where registered voters can vote in-person until Oct. 31. Voters can cast their ballots at any of the six locations. The locations are the Reitz Union, the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office, Tower Road and Millhopper Branch Libraries, Legacy Park Multipurpose Center and Orange Heights Baptist Church.
Steven Walker is the Fall 2021 Editor in Chief of The Alligator. He has previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel; and has bylines in the Miami Herald, Associated Press and Florida Times Union. In his free time, he likes to take long walks with his dog Luna and watch his favorite sports teams, the Orlando Magic and the Green Bay Packers.
