TAMPA, Fla. — As voters start lining up at poll locations across the nation to make sure to cast their ballot, some may be wondering if the post office is closed.
According to the U.S. Postal Service holiday schedule, mail delivery will be the same on Election Day with it not being a federal holiday.
So yes, post offices are open on Election Day. But, voters should not be bringing their vote-by-mail ballots to post offices Tuesday.
People had until Oct. 29 to request a vote-by-mail ballot, and they have to be received by the supervisor of elections office no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.
But if you forgot to mail it in, grab your entire vote-by-mail kit and head to your local polling place. There, a poll worker will mark your mail-in ballot “canceled,” and you’ll be allowed to vote with a regular ballot.
If you don't bring your vote-by-mail kit with you, the in-person voting process becomes a little trickier, but not impossible. A poll worker can confirm that your ballot was not received before issuing a regular ballot to you. If the staff cannot confirm that your ballot has not been received, you can vote with a provisional ballot — the canvassing board will later determine its validity.
For anyone voting in person, polls opened at 7 a.m. and will run until 7 p.m. Bring a photo ID that has your signature and, if you'd like, a sample ballot with your notes.
For a step-by-step process of finding your specific Florida polling place, click here.
