Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner reminds county residents that Monday, Oct. 5, is the last day to register to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election. All three county elections offices in Sarasota, North Port and Venice will remain open until 6 p.m. on Oct. 5 to receive and process applications.

Turner also strongly recommends that voters confirm whether they are registered and that their voter records are current before the October 5 deadline. A voter may check his or her voter eligibility at SarasotaVotes.com. Just click on “Voter Information” in the main menu and then on “Voter Lookup” and follow the easy instructions. In Manatee County, citizens can register and check their voter status at votemanatee.com.

New paper voter registration applications must be completed, signed and returned in person to an elections office or be postmarked by the Oct. 5 deadline. Applications may also be submitted electronically through RegistertoVoteFlorida.gov before midnight on Oct. 5.

Voters who have moved, changed their names, or need to update their signatures since the last election may also complete a voter registration application to update their records. Turner strongly urges those who plan to vote by mail and whose signatures may have changed since they last voted to update their signatures. The signature on file at the time the voted ballot is received in the elections office is one that will be used to verify the signature on the voter’s certificate on the return envelope. Address and name changes may be made any time prior to voting.

Voter registration applications are available at all three elections offices in Sarasota, Venice and North Port; at public libraries, military recruitment offices and public assistance offices; and may be downloaded at SarasotaVotes.com. Applications also may be submitted through any driver's license or tax collector’s office that issues Florida driver licenses or Florida ID cards.