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Popularity of early voting, absentee ballots strong in primary
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Lee and Collier County held their primaries today, Tuesday August 26th.
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NAPLES — There were only minor surprises in total voter turnout on Tuesday, and how quickly the information was processed and released.
Dave Carpenter, qualifying officer for Collier Supervisor of Elections Jennifer Edwards’ office, said they were somewhat surprised that there wasn’t a larger turnout.
They were predicting 20 percent, including absentee and early voters. They came close: a little more than 18 percent. Of that number, a bit more than 10 percent came from absentee and early voters.
“I’m surprised we didn’t see more voters on Election Day. It was a beautiful day out,” Carpenter said, adding that the office can supply polling places and ballots but when it comes to casting the vote, that is up to the individual.
Even so, elections officials are detecting a trend, because more than 50 percent of Collier’s voters took advantage of either absentee or early voting, he said.
Of the 37,813 ballots cast, 20,909, or 55 percent, were done ahead of election day, either by early voting or absentee ballots.
In 2004, about 55 percent voted before Election Day, Carpenter said.
Those numbers “will continue to increase,” Carpenter said. “People don’t have to stand in line unless they want to.”
The new voting machines had volunteers on a “learning curve,” but vote totals that were filed late were unrelated to the optical-scan voting machines put into use with this election.
Election officials had to pull separate results from each scanner, then results from the last of the touch-screen handicap-access voting machines, Carpenter said.
Sending in the results by modem for the county’s 93 precincts takes “only a matter of seconds,” but when 93 computers are trying to phone in at the same time, there’s bound to be a bit of a delay, Carpenter said.
The final unofficial results showed that of a possible 197,716 registered voters, a total of 37,813 ballots, or 19 percent were cast.
The count will not be official until the Collier County Canvassing Board sits down on Tuesday and reviews the results, Carpenter said.
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I did the mail in ballot this time. Only way to go as far as I am concerned. You can do it from the privacy of your home without ever standing in line.
The ballots were just like the ones used at the polling places. Just fill in th bubble then drop it into an evelope. Nothing to it.
You can request these mail in ballots on the Elections website. It takes all of about 30 seconds to do so.
I have already requested my ballot for the November elections.
#1 Posted by swfl_ff on August 27, 2008 at 8:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I fully agree swfl_ff.
They promoted both early voting and the mail in ballot. My wife and I have been voting by mail in for the last few elections.
I think it will be even more important to vote via mail in ballots come November because there are so many constitutional amendments on the ballot. Some are rather confusing, so it would be good to study the sample ballot and think out what the wording actually means and if there are any unintended consequences.
We have no intention of going back to voting in person.
#2 Posted by BlueTonguedVole on August 27, 2008 at 9:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree BTV. The long and complicated November ballot is the very reason that I have decided to vote by mail then too. You can take your time and study everything carefuly.
I too doubt that I will ever stand in line to vote again.
#3 Posted by swfl_ff on August 27, 2008 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i mailed in
#4 Posted by FreshFace on August 27, 2008 at 11:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't agree RockfordGrad, voting early also means that your vote has been captured. ;-)
#5 Posted by BlueTonguedVole on August 28, 2008 at 9:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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