Spanish-speaking voters in Monroe County may have received sample ballots with an incorrect election date, according to a report by the Keys Weekly. The sample ballots, distributed via mail, indicated that Election Day was November 5, 2024, instead of the actual date of August 18.

Printer Error Cited

Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies confirmed the error was due to a printer's mistake. Hodies expressed frustration, stating she had identified and corrected the date discrepancy weeks prior to the ballot printing. She noted that multiple revisions were made, and the final proof she approved contained the correct August 18 date.

Hodies stated, “I told the printer the date was wrong seven weeks ago. We went through about 11 revisions, and the final proof I approved had the correct dates. I have three Spanish speakers in the office and we all checked the final proof and everything was correct.”

The incorrect date appeared in a section titled “Vote Election Day” and was repeated in Spanish. The English version correctly listed the August election date, but the Spanish translation mistakenly stated “ 5 de noviembre de 2024 .” Hodies provided documentation showing her comments to the printer, highlighting the need to change November 2024 to “ 18 de agosto .”

Official Ballots Unaffected

Despite the error on the sample ballots, Hodies assured that all official ballots voters will cast on August 18 are accurate. She emphasized that the printer, which handles ballots for elections nationwide, mistakenly used an incorrect version after the correct one had been approved. Hodies dismissed any suggestion of a conspiracy to disenfranchise Spanish-speaking voters, attributing the issue solely to a printer's error.

This marks one of the first major elections administered by Hodies, who was elected in November 2024 and took office in January 2025. The Keys Weekly is a local publication covering news and the real estate market in the Florida Keys. For more local news, visit Keys Weekly.