LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Lake County elections officials begin sending out ballots on Thursday to all registered voters, but one concern being addressed is the issue of voter fraud.

All vote-by-mail ballots come with official envelopes that include a signature box. Elections officials say all signatures must be verified, and if there are any discrepancies, the voter will need to sign an affidavit and provide proper ID.

“The envelope has a spot on the back of it right there with the signature, for them to give us their cell phone number and their email address so if we need to contact them real quickly, we can do that,” Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays said.

Election officials say mail-in ballots are counted first during a general election as long as they arrive by 7 p.m. on the day of the election.​