Polk County Voter 2020 Guide: Early Voting, Vote-By-Mail

POLK COUNTY, FL — Polk County voters have voting options in this year's general election that include submitting ballots at early voting locations and drop-off ballot boxes, mail-in-voting and Election Day voting.

Patch has deadlines for voting, how to request a Florida ballot, where to return a ballot and more 2020 election information.

Early Voting

Early voting for the Nov. 3 election starts Monday, Oct. 19 and ends Sunday, Nov. 1. Voting takes place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily at the following locations:

• Bartow: Polk Street Community Center: 1255 Polk St (click here for map)
• Davenport: Polk County Sheriffs NE District Office, 1100 Dunson Rd (click here for map)
• Haines City: Haines City Library, 111 N 6th St (click here for map)
• Lakeland: Polk County Government Center, 930 E Parker St (click here for map)
• Lakeland: Simpson Park Community Center, 1725 Martin L King Jr Ave (click here for map)
• Lake Wales: James P. Austin Community Center, 315 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd N (click here for map)
• Mulberry: Mulberry Civic Center, 901 NE 5th St (click here for map)
• Poinciana: Poinciana Community Center, 395 Marigold Ave (click here for map)
• Winter Haven: Gill Jones NE Polk County Government Center, 3425 Lake Alfred Rd (click here for map)

Mail-In-Voting

If you're registered to vote in Polk County, you have until Saturday, October 24 at 5 p.m. to request a vote-by-mail ballot online. You can make a request also by calling the elections headquarters office at 863-534-5888, or stop by one of two elections offices:

• Elections office, 250 South Broadway Avenue, Bartow
• Operations center, 70 Florida Citrus Blvd., Winter Haven

Mail-in-ballots must be received at the election headquarters or operations center by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Remember to sign your ballot and that your signatures matches the one you have on file with the elections office. Fill out this form to update your signature.

Voters are not permitted to drop off their vote-by-mail ballots at their regular voting precincts on Election Day.

Drop Box Locations

Polk County residents have two convenient locations to drop off their mail-in ballots until the election deadline at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.

• The drop box in Bartow is located outside the election headquarters, 250 S. Broadway Ave. This box is available for use any time of the day.
• The second drop box location is in Winter Haven outside the election operations center, 70 Florida Citrus Blvd.

Election Day Voting

If you choose to vote in person on Nov. 3, you can look up your voting precinct online. For your vote to count, you must vote in the precinct in which you reside. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

If voting in person, either early or on Nov. 3, voters must bring a current and valid ID with their name, photo and signature. Acceptable IDs include Florida driver's license, a Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a United States passport, a debit or credit card, military ID or a student ID. Find a full list of acceptable IDs here.

Who and What are on the Ballot?

Polk County voters can find sample ballots with a complete list of candidates – including federal, statewide, countywide and municipal races – as well as proposed constitutional amendments for all Florida voters online here.

President and Vice President

• Joseph R. Biden, President and Kamala D. Harris, Vice President - Democrat
• Donald J. Trump, President and Michael R. Pence, Vice President - Republican
• Jo Jorgensen, President and Jeremy F. "Spike" Cohen, Vice President – Libertarian

Representative in Congress, District 9

• William P. "Bill" Olson, Republican
• Darren Soto, Democrat

Representative in Congress, District 15

• Scott Franklin, Republican
• Alan Cohn, Democrat

Representative in Congress, District 17

• Greg Steube, Republican
• Allen Ellison, Democrat
• Theodore "Pink Tie" Murray, NPA

State Senator, District 20

• Danny Burgess, Republican
• Kathy Lewis, Democrat

State Representative, District 39

• Josie Tomkow, Republican
• Chris Cause, Democrat

State Representative, District 40

• Colleen Burton, Republican
• Jan Barrow, Democrat
• Emily Michie, NPA

State Representative, District 41

• Sam Killebrew, Republican
• Jared West, Democrat

State Representative, District 42

• Fred Hawkins, Republican
• Barbara Ann Candy, Democrat
• Leroy Sanchez, NPA

State Representative, District 56

• Melony Bell, Republican
• James Davis, Democrat

County Commissioner, District 3

• Bill Braswell, Republican
• Bob Doyel, Democrat

Constitutional Amendments

• Amendment 1: Provides that only U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old, a permanent resident of Florida and registered to vote may vote in a Florida election.
• Amendment 2: Raises Florida's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026.
• Amendment 3: Allows all registered voters to vote in primaries for state legislature, governor and cabinet regardless of political party affiliation.
• Amendment 4: Requires proposed amendments or revisions to Florida's constitution be approved in two elections.
• Amendment 5: Increase the period of time accrued Save-Our-Homes benefits may be transferred from a prior homestead to a new homestead from two to three years.
• Amendment 6: Allows a homestead property tax discount to be transferred to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran.

For more information about the 2020 elections, visit Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office.