Martin County elections chief deputy details mail‑ballot deadlines, new Jensen Beach precinct and early‑voting dates

Carrie Anderson, chief deputy in the Martin County Supervisor of Elections Office, told local podcast hosts that the county’s primary election is set for Aug. 18 and the general election for Nov. 3, and she urged voters to confirm mail‑ballot requests and polling locations before voting.

Anderson said the office does not automatically send ballots to previous mail voters and that “you must request if you want it by mail 6 days before the election.” She described the mailing schedule the office follows, saying domestic ballots are mailed 40 days before an election and military and overseas ballots go out 45 days before, and noted the office planned July 9 as a mailing date for the cycle.

The details matter because Florida uses a closed primary system, Anderson said, where voters receive a ballot tied to party registration. She added an exception affecting local races: because only Republican candidates entered the county commission contests in Districts 2 and 4, those specific races will appear on every ballot style even for voters registered with other parties.

Anderson walked through in‑person procedures for voters who previously requested a mail ballot: if a voter brings the mailed ballot to the polling place, poll workers will take it and cancel the request; if a voter cannot find the mailed ballot, the polling station staff will verify the status with the elections office and issue a precinct ballot after confirmation.

She also announced that Martin County has increased its number of polling precincts from 28 to 29 with a new site at Jensen Beach Community Church on Skyline Drive; affected voters will receive updated voter information cards. For the primary the office will operate three early‑voting locations — the elections office on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Hopetown Library and Elizabeth LaTte Library in Indiantown — with early voting Aug. 8–15 and Sunday, Aug. 9 included. The general election will use six locations, the office said.

On staffing and transparency, Anderson said election workers are paid (not volunteers) and that pay for the day ranges from $185 to $225. The office expects about 160 workers for the primary and offers training; it also now offers “beyond the lobby” tours to show how ballots are handled and to demonstrate the newly upgraded DS300 tabulation machines that the office is using to speed tabulation during mock demonstrations.

Anderson highlighted youth outreach programs, describing an "I Voted" sticker contest: “The I voted sticker was designed by a ninth grader at Jensen Beach High School,” she said, and a separate “future voter” sticker for children was designed by a fifth grader at Jensen Beach Elementary School.

Martin County has a little over 115,000 registered voters, Anderson said, and the county recorded the 10th highest turnout in Florida in the 2024 presidential election. She encouraged voters to use the office website, martinvotes.gov, to find precincts, track mailed ballots and schedule office tours.

The elections office will also provide secure ballot intake stations at early‑voting sites and the elections office for those who prefer to hand‑deliver mail ballots; voters can check online or call the office to confirm the county has received their ballot. The office number provided on the podcast was 772-288-5637.

The office will be closed Friday in observance of the July 4 holiday. Hosts closed the episode with local event listings and a reminder to vote in the upcoming elections.