ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Time is running out to vote early in the 2020 general election.
This is the last weekend of early voting. Some counties — Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, and Sumter — are wrapping up early voting Saturday night.
What You Need To Know
- This is the last weekend of early voting
- So far, 3.8M Floridians have cast ballots in person
- Orange County expected to pass 2016 early voting total
- Florida Early Voting Hours and Locations; 2020 Voting Guide
Four counties in Central Florida already have surpassed their in-person early voting totals from 2016. In 2020, Brevard already has 132,942, compared with just 118,389 in 2016. Lake County's early voting numbers so far are nearly 85,000 compared to 75,000 four years ago. In Marion, almost 74,000 have already cast ballots in person, compared to 66,000 i 2016. Volusia turnout has also been high, with 98,000 now and 97,000 in 2016.
In Orange County, early voting continues all weekend. More than half of registered voters in Orange County already have cast their ballot — either in person or online. Pre-Election Day totals in Orange County, are inching closer to the 2016 voter turnout as a whole. Nearly 566,000 county residents voted four years ago, compared to the more than 476,000 people whose votes have been counted already this year.
Orange County Elections Supervisor Bill Cowles said he expects about 300,000 residents to have voted in person by the end of the weekend, which would surpass early voting in 2016 by around 45,000 voters.
The last weekend of ealy voting is usually the busiest, Cowles said.
"In 2016, we averaged around 25,000 voters a day on the last three days with 16 sites," he said. "This year, we’ve got 20 sites and more voters, so it’ll be interesting to see if we keep that same pace.”
One Orlando woman said she never misses an election, but this was her first time voting early.
“I want to make sure my vote is counted and whatever I can do to help make that process go faster, then that’s why I’m here,” Donna Walden said.
As of early Saturday, 3.8 million Floridians had voted early, compared to nearly 3.9 million total in 2016.
Mail-in ballots have also become increasingly popular in Florida this election cycle, likely in part because of the pandemic. As of midmorning Friday, nearly 4.4 million ballots were received by mail, compared to 2.7 million in 2016.
Voters who are still holding mail-in ballots should drop them off at a ballot drop-off box, or they might not arrive in time to count. Ballots must be in the supervisor of elections offices by the close of voting Tuesday, November 3 to count. Ballots postmarked by that date that have not been received by elections supervisors by the close of polling Tuesday will not be counted.