Florida Vote-by-Mail Requests Made for 2026 Expire Dec. 31: How to Renew in St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Duval for 2027 and 2028

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Voters in St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Duval counties who got a ballot in the mailbox for the Nov. 3 general election should not expect one to arrive automatically next time. Under Florida law, a vote-by-mail request lasts only through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election. For requests that were on file for this month's election, that date is Dec. 31.

After that, a voter who wants to keep voting by mail has to ask again. The Florida Division of Elections says on its vote-by-mail page that a request must be renewed if the voter wishes to keep receiving a mail ballot after each period expires. The first test in Northeast Florida comes quickly: Jacksonville's city election is on the ballot March 9, 2027, with candidate qualifying from noon Jan. 11 through noon Jan. 15, Jacksonville Today reported in April.

What the law says

Section 101.62 of the Florida Statutes says one request is deemed sufficient to receive a mail ballot for all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election, unless the voter asks for specific elections only. General elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year, according to the Division of Elections. By that formula the next one falls on Nov. 7, 2028, so a request filed from now on would run through Dec. 31, 2028, under the statute's wording, though voters should confirm that with their county office.

The rule is newer than many voters realize. A 2021 state law, Senate Bill 90, reduced the number of elections a single request covers, according to Florida Senate staff analyses of the bill. Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland ran into the result before this year's elections, saying in March that all earlier requests had lapsed at the end of 2024 and that his office was phoning past mail voters to tell them to renew, Jacksonville Today reported March 25.

How to renew

A request goes to the supervisor of elections in the county where the voter is registered, not to the state. It can be made in person, by phone or in writing, and a written request must use the statewide form, DS-DE 160, the Division of Elections says. The division lists three things every request must include.

• The voter's name, date of birth and address
• The voter's Florida driver license number, Florida identification card number or the last four digits of the Social Security number, whichever can be verified in the supervisor's records
• The voter's signature, if the request is in writing

A ballot going to an address other than the one on file requires a signed written request, with an exception for absent military and overseas voters, the division says. An immediate family member or legal guardian may make the request for a voter, but must also give his or her own address, identification number and relationship to the voter. The statute allows that only when the voter directly instructs it.

Addresses matter with mail ballots. The Nassau County elections office notes that the Postal Service cannot forward a ballot, so the address on file has to be current. If a ballot comes back undeliverable, the request on record is canceled, and the voter must provide or confirm a current residential address before getting another, according to the Division of Elections.

Identification numbers can also go stale. The City of Green Cove Springs' election page carries a notice that residents who renewed or replaced a Florida driver license or ID card to meet REAL ID requirements have a new ID number, and that the Clay County Supervisor of Elections needs the updated number to keep the voter record accurate. The page says voters can update it at RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov, at the elections office or at the tax collector's office when renewing.

Where to ask

Each of the four county offices takes requests by phone. The addresses below are the main offices listed by the St. Johns, Clay and Nassau supervisors. The Duval number is the one Holland's office gave for mail ballot requests in March.

Deadlines that apply to every election

The same clock runs before each election, whether it is a city race or a presidential one. The figures below come from the statute and the Division of Elections. Voters who miss the request deadline can still pick up a ballot in person under tighter rules.

• Request deadline: 5 p.m. on the 12th day before the election for a ballot to be mailed
• Mailing: for primary and general elections, ballots for requests already on file go out between the 40th and 33rd days before the election
• Return deadline: the ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, regardless of postmark; the Postal Service recommends mailing it at least a week ahead
• Signature problems: a cure affidavit, Form DS-DE 139, with a copy of identification is due by 5 p.m. on the second day after the election

For Jacksonville's March 9 election, the 12-day rule puts the request deadline at Feb. 25, 2027, although Duval voters should confirm the date with the elections office. As of Nov. 9, the election dates pages for St. Johns and Nassau counties listed no election after Nov. 3, 2026. Voters there and in Clay County who renew now would be covered for the 2028 primary and general elections under the statute.

Requests and returned ballots can be tracked online. St. Johns County points voters to its voter lookup tool, Nassau County offers ballot notifications through BallotTrax, and the Clay County office has directed voters to TrackMyClayBallot.com. A voter unsure whether a request is still active can check there or call the county office.