Florida Senate - 2011                                     SB 378
       
       
       
       By Senator Gaetz
       
       
       
       
       4-00489-11                                             2011378__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to voting methods and procedure;
    3         amending s. 101.6952, F.S.; permitting absent
    4         uniformed services voters or overseas voters to use
    5         the Official Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot to vote
    6         in any federal, state, or local election; providing an
    7         effective date.
    8  
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Section 101.6952, Florida Statutes, is amended
   12  to read:
   13         101.6952 Absentee ballots for absent uniformed services and
   14  overseas voters.—
   15         (1) If an absent uniformed services voter’s or an overseas
   16  voter’s request for an absentee ballot includes an e-mail
   17  address, the supervisor of elections shall:
   18         (a) Record the voter’s e-mail address in the absentee
   19  ballot record;
   20         (b) Confirm by e-mail that the absentee ballot request was
   21  received and include in that e-mail the estimated date the
   22  absentee ballot will be sent to the voter; and
   23         (c) Notify the voter by e-mail when the voted absentee
   24  ballot is received by the supervisor of elections.
   25         (2) For absentee ballots received from absent uniformed
   26  services voters or overseas voters, there is a presumption that
   27  the envelope was mailed on the date stated on the outside of the
   28  return envelope, regardless of the absence of a postmark on the
   29  mailed envelope or the existence of a postmark date that is
   30  later than the date of the election.
   31         (3) An absent uniformed services voter or an overseas voter
   32  may vote in any federal, state, or local election by using the
   33  Official Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (Standard Form 186A),
   34  provided through the Federal Voting Assistance Program, or any
   35  other similar ballot provided for such voters to use in federal
   36  elections.
   37         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.