Florida Primary Election Updates: Early Voting and Turnout Across Three Counties
Poll are open from 7am to 7 pm
DeSoto County
DeSoto County’s election office reported a smooth start to early voting, with no major conflicts. As of Monday, 1,342 residents had cast their ballots early out of a population of approximately 36,000. Additionally, 754 mail-in ballots have been received, bringing the county’s early voter turnout to 10.79%.
Charlotte County
6,746 early votes have been cast as of Monday. Supervisor of Elections Leah Valenti noted that while there have been reports of unkind behavior, no incidents required police intervention. These occurrences were outside the 150-foot solicitation zone, which the election staff manages. Alongside early voting, the county has received 18,552 mail-in ballots and seven provisional ballots, resulting in a pre-Election Day turnout of 16.64%. Due to outdated facilities and storm damage, some voting locations have been changed. A full list of these changes is available at tinyurl.com/4avakbtm. For information go to https://www.soecharlottecountyfl.gov/
Sarasota County
Sarasota County has seen 14,330 early votes cast from its 326,826 registered voters. Election staff reported a generally calm process, though there were some complaints about verbal disputes. These issues occurred outside the 150-foot “no solicitation” perimeter managed by election officials. Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Communications Director Paul Donnelly confirmed that early voting concluded with minimal issues. Changes to voting locations were necessary due to Hurricane Debby, including:
Precinct 535 has moved to Jacaranda Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice.
Precinct 203 is now at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, 801 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
Precinct 215 is temporarily relocated to First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St., Sarasota.
In addition to the 14,330 early voters, Sarasota County has received 56,278 mail-in ballots, resulting in a turnout of 21.6%. Voter breakdown by party includes 30,048 Republicans, 27,994 Democrats, and 9,566 voters of other affiliations.
For more information go to : https://www.sarasotavotes.gov/
