Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/360116
Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent is reminding voters who have requested an absentee ballot for the Aug. 26 Primary Election that they may track their bal- lot online from the time they put in the request until the voted ballot has safely reached the Supervisor of Elections Office. The online tracking system also allows voters to check registration status, party affiliation and local polling place information, as well as to request an absentee ballot, a news release points out. Voters may go to the Supervisor of Elections (SOE) website at SarasotaVotes. com and select the "Vote by Mail" icon at the top of the homepage, the release contin- ues. Then they should choose "Track your Absentee Ballot" from the menu and enter the requested information. Requests for absentee ballots to be mailed to the voter must be received by the supervisor of elections no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, the release adds. Dent cautions absentee voters that, for the ballot to be counted, the voter certificate on the return envelope must be signed by the voter and the voted ballot must be received in the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 p.m. on election day. "Marked absentee ballots may not be turned in at a polling place on election day," the release stresses. Effective as of Jan. 1, 2014, a person who has forgotten to sign the voter certificate on the return envelope has until 5 p.m. the day before the election to "cure" the missing signature by completing an absentee ballot affidavit and providing an ID to the supervisor of elec- tions, the release points out. A copy of the affidavit and instructions are available on the SOE website. Dent also reminds voters whose signatures may have changed since they last voted that signature updates must be made on a Florida Voter Registration Application and presented to the Supervisor of Elections Office prior to the start of the absentee ballot canvass, which is set for 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 18. Voters may contact the SOE Office at 861- 8600 for assistance or for more information. DENT REMINDS VOTERS ABOUT ONLINE ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING Photography, Nuovo Salon, Cutting Loose Salon, James Griffith Salon, All Faiths Food Bank, Northeastern University, Home Depot, Morton's Market, Sarasota Fire Department, Sarasota Memorial Hospital and the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County. In addition to all the indoor checkups and other activities, children had opportunities for fun and games outside, the release notes. On the parish lawn, activities ranged from bubble blowing to dog petting to corn hole bag tossing to ring tosses and the enjoyment of live music. Home Depot of Cattlemen Road in Sarasota gave away tomato and herb plants on the lawn, as well as flowers, and flavored snow cones were whipped up by Church of the Redeemer youth, the release says. The Church of the Redeemer is a traditional Episcopal church located in the heart of downtown Sarasota, at 222 S. Palm Ave. For more information, visit redeemersarasota.org or call 955-4263. For more information about Hope Kids Community, visit hopekc.org or call 544-4850. Sarasota News Leader August 8 & 15, 2014 Page 73