SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Although former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has dropped out from the presidential race, his name remains on Florida's primary ballot.
Tens of thousands of absentee ballots have been casted already in Florida, some with Bush's name on them. Supervisors of elections have received calls from voters, asking if they can recast their vote now that Bush has suspended his campaign.
"Every single year, we get these calls, and every single year, it's no surprise," Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel said.
Ertel said the answer is always the same: No.
The law says absentee ballots have to be mailed out 45 days before an election for military oversees, so when the ballots were mailed in December, all the candidates' names were on them.
Ertel said it's too expensive to reprint the ballot every time a candidate drops out, which can also lead to more mistakes. He said a voter's best bet is to wait until March 1 to cast.
Half of the candidates on the absentee ballot have suspended their campaigns.
Just because a candidate's campaign is suspended doesn't mean someone's vote won't count, because that person is technically still in the race. A person is officially off the ballot if they withdraw from the race, and none of the candidates have withdrawn yet.
Supervisors are using Twitter, Facebook and their websites to try and reach voters to let them know which candidates has suspended their campaigns.
Cox Media Group
