Name: It’s Primary Day in Florida; there’s still time to vote
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It’s Primary Day in Florida; there’s still time to vote

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AdvertisementBy South Florida Sun SentinelAug 18, 2020 at 7:10 pmThe look of the precincts may have that 2020 apocalyptic feel to them, with masks, social distancing, and lots of sanitizer. But today is Florida’s primary, and neighborhood polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.AdvertisementTurnout so far has been light, especially in comparison to the high numbers of mail-in ballots. The impact of the pandemic has been apparent throughout the day, reducing the number of in-person voters, requiring the last-minute training of replacement election workers and leading to health precautions at the polls.“I think we will break records for vote-by-mail being the new majority — about 75 percent of all ballots casts possibly — again making that the first time this has happened,” said Rick Asnani, campaign manager for Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. “Every place we have heard from it seems the voter turnout is light. They are like voting deserts, with very few in-person voting.”AdvertisementOne problem occurred Tuesday afternoon, when Republican voters were turned away from a precinct in Lighthouse Point because it had run out of Republican ballots.“The poll workers were just as frustrated as I was because they were trying to get in touch with the supervisor’s office,” said Melissa Dickman, who was unable to get a ballot to vote at Lighthouse Point City Hall. “They were apologetic. They had turned away people.”"I hope they get their act together before November," she said. "It's pathetic. They had all year to plan for this, and now it's game day and they can't do it."Steve Vancore, spokesman for Broward Elections Supervisor Peter Antonacci, said he had heard of the problem there and at Wynmoor Village in Coconut Creek. He said he each polling place has Express Vote machines that can produce additional ballots and wasn’t sure why they hadn’t been used.“Somebody either didn’t know how to use them or the machine wasn’t working,” he said.With 40,648 votes cast so far Tuesday afternoon in Broward, in-person primary day voting is very light. The in-person vote figure is dwarfed by the 198,861 mail ballots, as of Tuesday morning. There were also 40,040 in-person early votes.At the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections’ office in West Palm Beach, the parking lot resembled that of a shopping mall on Black Friday, with brief traffic jams as voters waited for spaces.At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link said there has been an increase in people dropping off ballots at the main office in West Palm Beach and satellite offices.AdvertisementLink, who is up for re-election, said as of Monday night, her office had received 176,642 mail-in ballots.She reported only two minor issues Tuesday. Wi-Fi hotspots at polling places in Lake Clarke Shores and Jupiter had problems upon booting up Tuesday morning, but were resolved quickly. She said all votes cast at every location, including those, have been counted.The pandemic affected the personnel available to handle the election. About 100 poll workers cancelled over the past few weeks because they showed symptoms of COVID-19 or flu-like illnesses, according to Link. Additional training was implemented over the past week, and all of those positions were filled, Link said.At Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton, where facilities were closed due the pandemic, one room was open to accommodate socially distanced voting.The few voters there entered through one door and left through another.One voter, Matthew Wittkin, said there were fewer booths than usual and if voters did not bring their own pen, they were provided one and asked to bring it with them. Despite the pandemic, he said he didn't want to vote by mail.Advertisement“I don’t necessarily trust the post office and when it leaves me, what happens to it,” Wittkin, 51, said. “I’d rather know that I went there and handed it in.”One reason for the scarcity of voters, aside from the low interest typically generated by local primary elections, is that South Florida voters already have to cast ballots before Election Day.The vast majority have voted from home, casting in advance of .As of Monday, the combined totals of mail balloting and early voting are up at least 47% in Broward, 62% in Miami Dade County and 78% in Palm Beach County — the three counties where the coronavirus pandemic has been the most widespread. Statewide totals are up as well, by 32%.But if you intend to head out in person, here are a few details you should know.Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and people who arrive on time and are in line before the polls close will be allowed to vote.AdvertisementSeveral dozen precincts have been changed, primarily because of the coronavirus pandemic, so be sure to verify the location of your precinct before you head out.Be sure to take your ID with you. A driver’s license or state-issued ID card is best, but other accepted forms include passports, debit or credit cards, and identification for members of the military, students, retirement centers, neighborhood associations, public assistance, and Veterans Administration health care and government employees.Anyone who has received a mail ballot but wants to vote in person can do so on Election Day, as long as only one ballot is submitted.Anyone who wants to submit their instead of voting in person can take the signed ballot to their county’s supervisor of elections offices by 7 p.m. Tuesday, and the vote will count; you can find the locations at , or .If you’ve moved, and are still living in the same county, you can still vote. Don’t go to your old polling place; go instead to the polling place for the new address.Registered Democrats and Republicans will pick nominees to represent their parties in November elections for Congress, the Florida Legislature and County Commission. Florida is a closed primary state, which means only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in the party primaries.AdvertisementBroward Supervisor of Elections Office reports all precincts open and ready for voters. Polls open until 7 p.m.— Anthony Man (@browardpolitics)Twice-weeklyA lunch-hour look at what's trending in Florida politics. &gt; But there are some elections for all Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach county voters. Those races include judicial and school board contests. A candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote wins. Otherwise, there’s a runoff in November.Some primaries (such as the contest for circuit court clerk in Broward and supervisor of elections in Palm Beach County) are open to all voters because only Democrats are running. Because there’s no other candidate in November, the winner on Tuesday will get the four-year term in the job.The South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Voter Guide, with candidate profiles and endorsements, can be found at . The Sun Sentinel can be found at .Broward: or 954-357-7050.Miami-Dade: or 305-499-8683Palm Beach: 561-656-6200.AdvertisementEileen Kelley contributed to this report. Advertisement

AdvertisementBy South Florida Sun SentinelAug 18, 2020 at 7:10 pmThe look of the precincts may have that 2020 apocalyptic feel to them, with masks, social distancing, and lots of sanitizer. But today is Florida’s primary, and neighborhood polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.AdvertisementTurnout so far has been light, especially in comparison to the high numbers of mail-in ballots. The impact of the pandemic has been apparent throughout the day, reducing the number of in-person voters, requiring the last-minute training of replacement election workers and leading to health...

It’s Primary Day in Florida; there’s still time to vote

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