With the Florida primary election just 19 days away, Collier County election officials are warning voters about a misleading text message circulating on social media.
The text claims that if a poll worker writes something on your ballot before you put it in the voting machine, you need to request a new one.
The message alleges that a "very reliable and good friend" who completed poll worker training reported that poll workers might mark ballots with a star, checkmark, or the letters R or D, and that such markings would automatically disqualify the ballot.
Collier County Supervisor of Elections Melissa Blazier refutes these claims, stating that they are entirely false.
"Our election workers will not make any marks of any kind on a voter's ballot," Blazier said. "We just wanted to get ahead of this misinformation and really stop it. It has been shared several thousand times now, and we know that voters are anxious about voting in person. We just don't want them to worry that our election workers are going to be writing anything on their ballots."
Blazier advises voters to prepare by reviewing a sample ballot before Election Day.
"Do your homework, we've got a lot of resources, a lot of information on our website. So for first-time voters, if they're not comfortable with the system, they can come into our office. We can actually walk them through the voting process. You can watch videos on our website , use our social media platforms," she recommended, acknowledging the anxiety many, especially first-time voters, feel about the voting process.
For those who want to receive official election information, Collier County voters can text "Collier Votes" to 91896. Early voting begins on Aug. 10, and the deadline to request a mail-in ballot is next Thursday.