DADE CITY, Fla. — Election workers in Pasco County have started mailing out ballots to voters for the August primary, but the number of ballots being mailed is down drastically from past elections.
In Pasco County, 42,000 ballots were sent out this year. Two years ago, 121,000 were mailed. The reason for the change is because of a new state law that requires voters to renew their mail-in ballot requests more often.
Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley worries about what these lower numbers could mean for wait times during the general election in November.
“If you have voted by mail, and now for whatever reason you’re now voting in person, that’s going to add to the lines,” Corley said. “With a two-page ballot, it’s unavoidable. We’re trying to educate people to avoid the lines.”
Depending on the turnout, Corley said the waits for voting in the presidential election could be as long as two hours.
“It’s a concern,” Corley said. “Keeps me up at night, to be honest with you.”
Corley already sent out postcards with QR codes to remind voters about renewing their mail-in ballot requests. Now, he plans to mail out a second round of postcards. Corley added the information to sample ballots as well.
Voters have 12 days before the election to request a mail-in ballot to be sent to them.