Hillsborough County's use of mail ballots dropped 25% from four years ago, as Apollo Beach and Ruskin voters face an Oct. 22 deadline to request one for the November general election.

During the August primary, 91,141 Hillsborough County voters returned mail ballots, down from 122,026 during the August 2022 primary, Spectrum Bay News 9 reported.

At the height of the pandemic-era surge in mail voting, Hillsborough County was sending roughly 400,000 mail ballots, Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer told Bay News 9.

"We had a huge spike during the pandemic, where we had 400,000 that we were sending off mail-in ballots, and it's steadily dropped off," Latimer said.

Voters must request mail ballots

One factor affecting the numbers is a change in Florida law governing how long vote-by-mail requests remain valid.

Under current Florida law, vote-by-mail requests expire after each general election. Voters who previously had a standing request therefore had to submit a new one after the 2024 general election if they wanted to continue receiving ballots by mail.

Latimer urged voters who want to vote by mail to check their status and submit a request before the deadline.

Hillsborough County voters who want a mail ballot for the Nov. 3 general election must request one by 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.

Requests can be made online at VoteHillsborough.gov or by calling 813-744-5900.

Voters requesting a ballot must provide identifying information, such as a Florida driver's license or identification card number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

More than 149,000 ballots headed to voters

Hillsborough County began sending its domestic vote-by-mail ballots Oct. 1.

More than 149,000 ballots were loaded for delivery as voting preparations got underway for the Nov. 3 election.

Military and overseas ballots went out earlier. By Friday evening, Oct. 2, the elections office had received about 350 completed overseas ballots, according to Bay News 9.

As we reported Oct. 2, election officials also completed a public test of the county's ballot scanners before voting begins.

Voters who receive a mail ballot can return it by mail or take it to a secure ballot intake station at an elections office during business hours or at an early voting location while early voting is underway.

The elections office recommends allowing at least a week for a mailed ballot to reach the office.

Completed vote-by-mail ballots must reach one of the county's five Supervisor of Elections offices by 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, to be counted.

Early voting in Hillsborough County runs Oct. 19 through Nov. 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 27 locations.