from staff
The Duval County Supervisor of Elections has reclassified an additional 22,432 registered voters into inactive status as of March 17 – a big difference from last year, when nearly 87,000 voters were placed in an inactive status after the Presidential Preference Primary Election.
Voters placed in an inactive status have moved to another address, city or state and have not updated their voter registration information with the Supervisor of Elections office.
Unless inactive voters update their residential address with their local Supervisor of Elections office, it cannot mail them new voter registration cards, sample ballots or precinct updates.
A voter is identified as “inactive” after the Supervisor of Elections Office has received one or more pieces of returned undeliverable mail from the U.S. Postal Service. At this point, the Supervisor of Elections must conduct a general registration list maintenance program to protect the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring the maintenance of accurate and current voter registration records in the statewide voter registration system as mandated by Florida Statute 98.065.
“I want to remind voters that when they move to a new address, it is extremely important that they update their new information with the elections office in order to avoid being placed in an inactive status and eliminate possible confusion when the inactive voter goes to vote,” said Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland.
A voter on the inactive list may be restored to the active list of voters by updating his or her registration, requesting an absentee ballot or appearing at a polling place to vote.
However, if a voter does not vote by the second federal general election, the voter’s name is removed from the statewide voter registration system and the voter must reregister to vote.
Duval County currently has 522, 171 active voters and 91,103 inactive voters on the rolls.
Voters may update their registration information by calling 630-1414 or by submitting a new voter registration application at the Main Office at 105 E. Monroe St. or the branch office at 5200-2 Norwood Ave.
For additional information, contact Tracie Collier at 630-1414 or 219-0792.