Official Election Mail
Did you receive Official Election Mail OR Political Mail?
Voter registration information is public record in the state of Florida.
Third-party groups and political organizations use this information to send targeted mail pieces to members of political paties,
and this activity is more common during election years.
Be sure to look for the Official Mail logo located on our mail pieces.
The Elections office is a nonpartisan administrative agency, and the Supervisor of Elections is responsible to conduct fair,
accurate and secure elections.
We do not send political mail.
The vast majority of our mailings will have the "Official Election Mail" logo, as designated by the United States Postal Service.
We also send required notices by mail which will be printed on the Elections Office letterhead. Mailings from the Elections Office are easy to identify.
The USPS defines Election Mail as, "...any item mailed to or from authorized election officials that enables citizens
to participate in the voting process - including ballots, voter registration cards, absentee (Vote-by-Mail) voting applications and polling place notifications.
Election Mail should not be confused with Political Mail, which is any material mailed for campaign purposes by a registered political candidate, campaign candidates-committee
or committee of a political party, as well as any material mailed by a political action committee or organization engaging in issues advocacy or voter mobilization."
The logo looks like this:
Voters receive many different types of political mail. Most of these mailings occur during an election year and the
activity increases as Election Day gets closer. Federal, state, and local candidates send direct mail pieces to voters registered with a political
party of their choice, based upon the audience they wish to influence.
Political mail can also come from political parties or political committees, which are known as "PACs."
These political mailings are easy to identify because many of them are oversized postcards with large photos of the candidate.
All of these political mailings are required to have disclaimer that identifies the group or candidate who paid for the advertisement.
Political advertising disclaimers differ between Federal and state or local candidates.
This is an example of political mailing by a candidate:
Political committees or PACs often send political mail for or against a candidate.
Negative advertisements have been around for a very long time and unfortunately have become more common in recent years.
Negative campaign ads do not encourage people to vote for a candidate based upon qualifications for office, but instead, they encourage people
to vote against a candidate by criticizing them.
The Elections Office has no authority to investiage or review political advertisements.
Candidates and political committees in Florida are required to follow the campaign finance laws in Chapter 106, Florida Statutes.
If you feel a political advertisement is in violation of the law, you may file a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission.
Many third-party organizations send mailings that encourage people to register to vote.
The Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information are two of these organizations.
These mailings do not come from the Elections Office and we cannot prevent them from sending mail to you.
Voter Participation Center Mailing:
Look for the return address on the mailng envelope to identify the organization
Center for Voter Information Mailing:
Look for the disclaimer at the bottom to identify the organization.
This type of mailing will include a Voter Registration Application pre-filled with the name and address of someone the organization believes to reside at your address.
The lists they use to send these mailings do not always have accurate or up-to-date information. The Elections Office does not provide information
to these organizations for them to use in their mailings. Call the phone number listed on the mailing if you wish to speak with someone who
can answer your questions or concerns about the information you receive on the application form.
Pre-Filled Application Form:
If you wish to learn more about these organizations, search for them using the Federal tax exempt organziation search tool.
If you receive any political mail without the required disclaimer, or have other concerns, please contact us for your trusted election information.
If you receive any political mail without the required disclaimer, or have other concerns, please contact us at 352-754-4125 for your trusted election information.