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Senate Bill 0354
    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 354

    By Senator Rossin





    35-193A-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to elections; amending s.

  3         101.62, F.S.; providing for direct mailing of

  4         absentee ballots; limiting the number of

  5         absentee ballots that may be mailed to the same

  6         address; providing exceptions; providing an

  7         effective date.

  8

  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

10

11         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section

12  101.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

13         101.62  Request for absentee ballots.--

14         (4)

15         (b)1.  As soon as the remainder of the absentee ballots

16  are printed, the supervisor shall deliver or mail an absentee

17  ballot to each elector by whom a request for that ballot has

18  been made.  Any elector may designate in writing a person to

19  pick up the ballot for the elector; however, the person

20  designated may not pick up more than two absentee ballots per

21  election, other than the designee's own ballot, except that

22  additional ballots may be picked up for members of the

23  designee's immediate family.  For purposes of this section,

24  "immediate family" means the designee's spouse or the parent,

25  child, grandparent, or sibling of the designee or of the

26  designee's spouse.  The designee shall provide to the

27  supervisor the written authorization by the elector and a

28  picture identification of the designee and must complete an

29  affidavit.  The designee shall state in the affidavit that the

30  designee is authorized by the elector to pick up that ballot

31  and shall indicate if the elector is a member of the

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 354
    35-193A-98




  1  designee's immediate family and, if so, the relationship.  The

  2  department shall prescribe the form of the affidavit. If the

  3  supervisor is satisfied that the designee is authorized to

  4  pick up the ballot and that the signature of the elector on

  5  the written authorization matches the signature of the elector

  6  on file, the supervisor shall give the ballot to that designee

  7  for delivery to the elector.

  8         2.  Unless otherwise provided in this section, an

  9  absentee ballot must be mailed directly to the elector at the

10  address shown on the registration books or to an address

11  outside of the county as designated by the elector. No more

12  than two absentee ballots may be mailed to the same address

13  unless the address is that shown on the registration books or

14  the address is for a hospital, assisted-living facility,

15  nursing home, short-term medical or rehabilitation facility,

16  or correctional facility and the supervisor is satisfied that

17  the mailing of the absentee ballot to an address, other than

18  as shown on the registration books, will not compromise the

19  integrity of the election.

20         Section 2.  This act shall take effect January 1, 1999.

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23                          SENATE SUMMARY

24    Provides that unless otherwise specified, an absentee
      ballot must be mailed to the elector at the address shown
25    on the registration books or to an address outside of the
      county, as designated by the elector. Prohibits the
26    mailing of multiple absentee ballots to the same address.
      Provides exceptions.
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