Yes, you can drop off someone else’s ballot in Florida, but the law caps how many you may carry. If the voter is an immediate family member, there is no limit. For anyone else, you may possess no more than two vote-by-mail ballots per election beyond your own and those of your immediate family. Possessing a third non-family ballot is a third-degree felony.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 104.0616 – Vote-by-Mail Ballots and Voting; Violations
Who Counts as Immediate Family
Florida’s statute defines “immediate family” narrowly. It covers a person’s spouse, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling, plus those same relatives of the person’s spouse.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 104.0616 – Vote-by-Mail Ballots and Voting; Violations If the voter fits that list, you can carry their ballot along with any number of other family members’ ballots.
Aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws outside the spouse’s immediate family, roommates, neighbors, caregivers, and friends do not qualify. Their ballots count against the two-ballot cap.
The Two-Ballot Cap for Non-Family Voters
Outside the family circle, the limit is strict: no more than two vote-by-mail ballots per election. The cap is per election, not per trip, and there is no permit, registration, or form you can file to raise it.
A practical example: your elderly neighbor and her friend across the street each ask you to drop off their voted ballots. You can take both, along with your own and any from qualifying family members. If a third non-family voter hands you a ballot, you have committed a third-degree felony.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 104.0616 – Vote-by-Mail Ballots and Voting; Violations
Supervised voting at assisted living facilities and nursing homes operates under a separate framework. Everywhere else, the two-ballot ceiling applies regardless of intent or affiliation.
Where to Drop the Ballot Off
A voted ballot has to go to an authorized location. Every county places secure ballot intake stations at the Supervisor of Elections’ main office, at qualifying permanent branch offices, and at each early voting site. Supervisors may add stations at other sites that meet early voting requirements.2Florida Senate. Florida Code 101.69 – Voting in Person; Return of Vote-by-Mail Ballot
Stations away from a supervisor’s office only accept ballots during that county’s early voting hours and are staffed in person while open. Stations at the supervisor’s office are monitored whenever they’re accessible for drop-offs. Check your county supervisor’s website for current addresses and hours before heading over.
The 7 PM Election Day Deadline
Whether the ballot travels by mail or by hand, the Supervisor of Elections must physically have it by 7:00 p.m. local time on Election Day. There is no postmark exception. A ballot that arrives the day after the election is not counted, even if it was mailed days before.3Florida Department of State. Vote-by-Mail If time is tight, hand delivery to a secure intake station is the safer route.
Confirm the Voter Signed the Envelope
Before you take someone’s ballot, check that they signed the certificate on the outside of the return envelope. The supervisor’s office compares that signature against the one on file. A missing or mismatched signature flags the ballot.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 101.68 – Canvassing of Vote-by-Mail Ballots
Florida does have a cure process. The supervisor tries to reach the voter by email, text, or phone and directs them to a cure affidavit on the office’s website. The voter has until 5:00 p.m. on the second day after the election to submit it. The canvassing board must find a signature mismatch “beyond a reasonable doubt” before rejecting a ballot.4Florida Senate. Florida Code 101.68 – Canvassing of Vote-by-Mail Ballots Even so, catching a missing signature at the kitchen table is easier than fixing it after the fact.
Penalties for Getting It Wrong
Possessing more vote-by-mail ballots than the law allows is a third-degree felony.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 104.0616 – Vote-by-Mail Ballots and Voting; Violations Requesting a ballot on someone else’s behalf without authorization is a third-degree felony under a separate statute.5Florida House of Representatives. Florida Code 104.047 – Vote-by-Mail Ballots and Voting; Violations
A third-degree felony in Florida carries up to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $5,000.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties; Applicability of Sentencing Structures; Mandatory Minimum Sentences7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines A felony conviction also costs you your voting rights in Florida until they are formally restored. The state has pursued these cases in recent years, so the risk is not theoretical.