Sarasota County Early Voting Guide 2022: How To Vote, Candidates

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Early voting began Monday in Sarasota County and is available daily for voters through Nov. 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

This is one of three options for the county’s 354,204 who want to cast their ballot in statewide races and local contests in the Nov. 8 election.

There are 101,628 registered Democrats, 154,281 registered to Republicans and 98,295 designated as “other,” meaning they’re registered with another party or no party affiliation, according to the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Office.

In addition to early voting, voters can also vote by mail or vote in person on Nov. 8, Election Day.

Ron Turner, supervisor of elections, warns voters they shouldn’t wait to Nov. 8 to vote, if possible, as “higher-than-normal voter turnout” is expected.

“This, along with impacts from Hurricane Ian and a multi-page ballot, may increase wait times for in-person voting. Don’t wait until the last minute to cast your vote,” Turner wrote on the website.

Early voting

The following polls are open during early voting:

• Sarasota Elections Office, Terrace Building, 2001 Adams Lane, Sarasota
• Venice Elections Office, R.L. Anderson Admin Center, 4000 S Tamiami Trail, Rm 114, Venice
• North Port Elections Office, Biscayne Plaza, 13640 Tamiami Trail, North Port
• North Sarasota Public Library, 2801 Newtown Blvd., Sarasota
• Fruitville Public Library, 100 Apex Road, Sarasota
• The Devyn Event Center, 7113 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota (replaces Sarasota Square Mall early voting site)
• Bee Ridge Park, 4430 S Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota
• Venice Public Library, 300 Nokomis Ave. S, Venice
• Shannon Staub Public Library, 4675 Career Lane, North Port

To cast your vote, bring a current and valid signature/photo ID. Acceptable identification includes:

• Florida driver license
• Florida ID card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• U.S. passport
• Debit or credit card
• Military identification
• Student identification
• Retirement center identification
• Neighborhood association identification
• Public assistance identification driver license
• Veteran health ID card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• License to carry a concealed weapon or firearm
• Employee ID card issued by any entity of federal, state, county or municipal government

If the photo ID doesn’t have a signature, voters will be required to show an additional ID with a signature.

Vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail or in person at a secure ballot intake station at any of the county’s nine early voting locations.

Voters Impacted by Hurricane Ian

Sarasota County residents who were displaced by Hurricane Ian should prepare now for voting in the Nov. 8 elections, the Supervisor of Elections Office said.

The office reminds residents in this situation that there are three ways to vote:

• in-person during early voting - Oct. 24 through Nov. 6, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• vote-by-mail – deadline to request a ballot is Oct. 29, 5 p.m.
• in-person on Election Day – polls are open Nov. 8, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Residents affected by Hurricane Ian who plan to vote by mail should:

• Visit their local U.S. Postal Service location to see if their mail is being held. Postal locations can be found using the United States Postal Service Location Finder or the Supervisor of Election Office’s prepared list of affected Sarasota County USPS locations and the ZIP codes they service.
• Contact the Supervisor of Elections Office at 941-861-8618 about updating mailing addresses and requesting replacement vote-by-mail ballots.
• Learn about alternate ways of voting if they’re unable to receive a vote-by-mail ballot.

Those who were displaced by Hurricane Ian and are having trouble receiving a vote-by-mail ballot should consider in-person early voting at the polling stations listed above through Nov. 6, the Supervisor of Elections Office said.

What’s on the ballot?

There’s a lot for voters to consider on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, Turner’s office said.

All voters will consider federal, state and county races. They’ll also decide on three Florida constitutional amendments and four county referendum questions.

North Port, Sarasota and Venice residents will also see specific items on the ballot.

Personalized sample ballots can be found here.

In Florida’s gubernatorial race, Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis faces the Democratic nominee, Charlie Crist.

Meanwhile, GOP incumbent U.S. Senator Marco Rubio also seeks reelection, going up against Democrat U.S. Rep. Val Demings.

At the county level, voters will decide on two Sarasota County Commission seats. Democrat Fredd “Glossie” Atkins and Republican Mark Smith are vying for the District 2 seat, while Democrat Daniel Kuether goes head-to-head with Republican Joseph Neunder in District 4.

In the city of Sarasota, three candidates — incumbent Jen Ahearn-Koch, Dan Lobeck and Debbie Trice —who received the most votes in the August primary election advanced to the Nov. 8 general election. The two who receive the most votes will claim two open seats on the Sarasota City Council.