| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to voting methods and procedure; amending |
| 3 | s. 101.6952, F.S.; permitting absent uniformed services |
| 4 | voters or overseas voters to use the Official Federal |
| 5 | Write-In Absentee Ballot to vote in any federal, state, or |
| 6 | local election; providing an effective date. |
| 7 |
|
| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 9 |
|
| 10 | Section 1. Section 101.6952, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 11 | to read: |
| 12 | 101.6952 Absentee ballots for absent uniformed services |
| 13 | and overseas voters.- |
| 14 | (1) If an absent uniformed services voter's or an overseas |
| 15 | voter's request for an absentee ballot includes an e-mail |
| 16 | address, the supervisor of elections shall: |
| 17 | (a) Record the voter's e-mail address in the absentee |
| 18 | ballot record; |
| 19 | (b) Confirm by e-mail that the absentee ballot request was |
| 20 | received and include in that e-mail the estimated date the |
| 21 | absentee ballot will be sent to the voter; and |
| 22 | (c) Notify the voter by e-mail when the voted absentee |
| 23 | ballot is received by the supervisor of elections. |
| 24 | (2) For absentee ballots received from absent uniformed |
| 25 | services voters or overseas voters, there is a presumption that |
| 26 | the envelope was mailed on the date stated on the outside of the |
| 27 | return envelope, regardless of the absence of a postmark on the |
| 28 | mailed envelope or the existence of a postmark date that is |
| 29 | later than the date of the election. |
| 30 | (3) An absent uniformed services voter or an overseas |
| 31 | voter may vote in any federal, state, or local election by using |
| 32 | the Official Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (Standard Form |
| 33 | 186A), provided through the Federal Voting Assistance Program, |
| 34 | or any other similar ballot provided for such voters to use in |
| 35 | federal elections. |
| 36 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |