Voting In Sarasota: Everything You Need To Know

SARASOTA, FL — Now that early voting has ended, Sarasota-area voters head to the polls Nov. 3. Here’s everything you need to know about voting on Election Day in Sarasota County.

How to Vote

When voting in person on Election Day, voters must bring a current and valid ID with their name, photo and signature. Acceptable IDs include a 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.

It’s important to remember that while your voter information card has lots of useful information about your voter registration, including your assigned precinct and polling location for Election Day, it isn’t an acceptable form of ID.

If you’re not certain where you should vote, you can look up your voting precinct online here. 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.

Vote-by-mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Though it’s too late to return your vote-by-mail ballot using the U.S. Postal Service, you can still drop off your mail-in ballot at the Supervisor of Elections offices on the day of the election. These offices are located at:

• Terrace Building, 101 South Washington Blvd., Sarasota
• R.L. Anderson Administration Building, 4000 Tamiami Trail South, Venice
• Biscayne Plaza, 13640 Tamiami Trail, North Port

Remember to sign your ballot and make sure that your signature matches the one you have on file with the elections office.

If you’ve requested a mail-in ballot, but would rather vote in person, you still can. Simply bring your ballot (marked or unmarked) to your polling location to turn it in. Then, you can vote using a regular ballot.

If you don’t bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you, the Supervisor of Elections’ office will need to confirm that your ballot hasn’t already been submitted and counted. If they determine it has been received, then you won’t be able to vote again. If you think the office is incorrect or if it can’t be determined if your mail-in ballot was received, you can request a provisional ballot.

If you’ve already voted by mail, check the status of your ballot online here.

Changes to Polling Stations

Several polling locations have changed in this year’s election. So, make sure you go to the correct polling place.

The following polling locations in Sarasota County have relocated for Nov. 3 voting:

• Precincts 135 and 303, which normally vote at St. Margaret of Scotland in Sarasota, is moving to Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota.
• Precinct 213, which normally votes at Plymouth Harbor in Sarasota is moving to St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, 40 N Adams Drive, Sarasota.
• Precinct 217, which normally votes at Fruitville Ministry Park in Sarasota, is moving to Sarasota Community Church, 4041 Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota.
• Precinct 307, which normally votes at the Jewish Congregation of Venice in Venice is moving to Church of the Nazarene, 1535 E Venice Ave, Venice.
• Precinct 321, which normally votes at Colonial Baptist Church in Venice, is moving to Woodmere Park, 3951 Woodmere Park Blvd, Venice.
• Precinct 543, which normally votes at Alameda Isles in Englewood, is moving to Englewood Sports Complex, 1300 S River Rd, Englewood.

The following polling locations in Sarasota County have been consolidated for Nov. 3 voting:

• Precinct 415, which normally votes at St. Andrew United Church in Sarasota; Precinct 417, which normally votes at Covenant Life Presbyterian Church in Sarasota; Precinct 423, which normally votes at Faith Lutheran Church in Sarasota; Precinct 425, which normally votes at Covenant Life Presbyterian Church in Sarasota; and Precinct 429, which normally votes at Venetian Park Estates in Sarasota, are moving to Sarasota Square Mall, 8201 S Tamiami Trl, Sarasota.
• Precinct 519, which normally votes at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Venice; and Precinct 521, which normally votes at Country Club Estates in Venice, are moving to Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave S, Venice.
• Precinct 525, which normally votes at Lift Church in Venice; and Precinct 541, which normally votes at New Life Church in Venice, are moving to Woodmere Park, 3951 Woodmere Park Blvd, Venice.

Who and What are on the Ballot?

Sarasota-area 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. Below are a few of the key races you might see on your ballot.

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 16

• Vern Buchanan, Republican
• Margaret Good, Democrat

Representative in Congress, District 16

• Allen Ellison, Democrat
• Theodore "Pink Tie" Murray, No Party Affiliation
• Greg Steube, Republican

State Senator, District 23

• Joe Gruters, Republican
• Katherine Norman, Democrat
• Robert Kaplan, No Party Affiliation

State Representative, District 71

• Will Robinson, Republican
• Andy Mele, Democrat

Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, District 1

• Michael Moran, Republican
• Mark E. Pienkos, Democrat

Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, District 3

• Nancy Detert, Republican
• Cory Hutchinson, Democrat

Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, District 5

• Ron Custinger, Republican
• Alice White, 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, check out the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections website.