Official: 5 stolen absentee ballots cast in Central Florida

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel said vote-by-mail ballots were stolen from five voters in three homes in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Altamonte Springs.

Ertel said they were fraudulently submitted, dated Oct. 12.

"It was crazy. We almost didn't believe it," Joy McGahey told Channel 9's Roy Ramos.

McGahey and several other voters didn't receive their vote-by-ballots, so they called the elections office to find out what was going on.

"We looked very deeply into it and we recognized that not only was it that voter, but it was two other households in their neighborhood, that it looks like someone else filed their ballot on their behalf," Ertel said.

Ertel said law enforcement is investigating the incidents.

Meanwhile, the voters affected were given new ballots.

Ertel told residents to check the status of their vote-by-mail ballots at the supervisor's website.

"You can track your ballot like you track a FedEx package or a UPS package and see exactly where it is has it left our office. Has it arrived at your house? Has it arrived back at our office voted?" Ertel said.

Florida Department of State spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice said there's no indication it's a widespread issue.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

RELATED: Florida: More than 4 million residents have already voted

Cox Media Group