Nassau County voters who requested mail ballots for the Nov. 3 general election should find them in their mailboxes starting the week of Sept. 23.

Supervisor of Elections Janet Adkins said her office began sending ballots 40 days before Election Day. Sample ballots are also being mailed and are available for pickup at the elections office, 96135 Nassau Place, Suite 3, in Yulee.

Adkins is urging voters to "Make a Plan to Vote" by choosing the method that works best for them, whether by mail, during early voting or on Election Day, the Fernandina Beach News-Leader reported.

Deadlines to request and return ballots

As we reported Sept. 23, the deadline to request a mail ballot is 5 p.m. Oct. 22. Voters can submit requests online, in person, by mail, by email or by phone at 904-491-7500.

Completed ballots must reach the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. The U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing ballots at least one week before Nov. 3 to ensure they arrive on time. Mail ballots cannot be forwarded, so voters should confirm the elections office has their correct mailing address.

Redesigned envelopes and early voting drop-offs

The elections office has also redesigned its vote-by-mail envelopes to protect voters' signatures from identity theft, according to the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections website.

Voters can drop off completed ballots at any early voting site during early voting hours. Early voting runs Oct. 22-31, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, the county's early voting page says.

Make sure your signature matches

Signature matching is another detail worth checking. If a voter's return-envelope signature does not match the one on file, the elections office will reach out. A cure affidavit must be received by 5 p.m. Nov. 5, two days after the election.

In a May article in the Fernandina Observer, Adkins encouraged voters to update their signatures periodically. "We check every single signature, and if doesn't match, you will hear from our office," she said. "We will work to cure that problem."

Voters can update their signature by completing a new voter registration application at votenassaufl.gov.

The next key date is the Oct. 22 mail-ballot request deadline. Early voting begins the same day.