A Message from the Supervisor of Elections

Vote By Mail - what a bargain! For all the deals offered these days even the best bargain hunters are hard pressed to find anything that costs less than 50 cents. Not a soda from the machine. Not a thing on the dollar menu.

And yet, as Americans we can pay less than 50 cents to do something many are willing to pay the ultimate price for.

The Republican Presidential Primary is almost here-Jan. 31, 2012.

Florida is a “no-excuse” state when it comes to voting. While you once needed to cite a reason to vote by mail, now all it takes is a simple request for a Vote-By-Mail ballot.

Many have thought mailed-in votes only mattered in deciding narrow elections. Not so. A mailed-in vote counts the same as one cast at your precinct-as long as it arrives at our office by 7 p.m. Election Day.

More Martin County citizens are choosing this option. In the 2008 presidential election, 33 percent of all votes cast arrived by mail. That year the overall turnout was 78 percent of Martin County’s more than 100,000 registered voters.

Martin County is blessed with a citizenry that is civilly informed and civically engaged so voter turnout consistently runs high. In addition, the “convenience” appeal of voting by mail is self-evident.

During these times the cost of casting a vote often entails strife, struggle, conflict, risk-and in many cases the sacrifices of members of our military. Meanwhile, here at home, the cost of exercising our right to vote runs little more than the price of a postage stamp.

By any measure, that’s a small price to pay for such a sought-after liberty. You can request a ballot to be mailed from our website or by calling the elections office at 772-288-5637.

Sincerely,