327,000 vote-by-mail ballots on the way

Election supervisors outline what you need to know

Massive mailings of ballots are going out to Broward and Palm Beach County voters this week.

On Tuesday, two 18-wheel trucks, escorted by three Florida Highway Patrol cars, began the trip from Lauderhill to Opa-locka.

Their cargo: more than 182,000 mail ballots going to Broward County voters, said Brenda Snipes, Broward supervisor of elections. Snipes will accompany the caravan from her voting equipment center in Lauderhill to the Postal Service’s regional sorting facility in Opa-locka.

They should begin arriving in voters’ mailboxes by the end of the week, Snipes said.

In Palm Beach County, 145,000 ballots will be mailed on Friday, Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher said.

These are the first, and biggest, waves of ballots for voting on Aug. 28, when Democrats and Republicans have primaries for a range of offices, and all voters can participate in nonpartisan elections for judges and school board members.

In interviews Monday, Bucher and Snipes outlined key things to know about voting by mail:

Return deadline. Ballots must be back at the county elections headquarters by 7 p.m. on primary day; postmarks don’t count. (In Palm Beach County, Bucher has satellite offices that will accept mail ballots until 5 p.m. on primary day.)

SUSAN STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office employee moves carts containing more than 182,000 vote-by-mail ballots as they head out to be mailed to voters.