SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – If you ask Seminole County’s Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson, early voter turnout has been, well, dismal.
“I’m definitely seeing a low turnout. Voters are happy but there is usually more activity at the early voting sites, and it is not there,” Anderson said.
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Maybe it is political fatigue. Maybe the hurricane still has some lingering effects, bleeding into the 2022 midterm elections. Anderson is not exactly sure what is causing the low turnout, but compared to the last midterms, Seminole County residents are down 1,000 people each day compared to 2018.
Anderson, however, is a man with a plan.
“I do not know what is causing the low voter turnout, but I am hoping we can get people active. We are going to be doing some Facebook lives here to try and get people engaged,” he said.
Among important amendments and a high-profile gubernatorial and senate race on top of local county elections, Anderson said there are a lot of reasons to cast your vote, but if you were planning on doing it by mail, it is too late for almost everyone.
“When it comes to (requesting) a vote-by-mail ballot, that deadline is now closed,” Anderson told News 6 investigator Merris Badcock.
“If there is an emergency, a voter can come to the supervisor (of) election’s office and fill out a form, and we will get a ballot to someone in an emergency situation,” he said.
That leaves early voting as the only remaining option if you want to avoid the crowds on Election Day.
Those early voting sites are also where Anderson gets to do his favorite part of the job: registering new voters.
“I go out to the early voting sites, and I check people in, and it is really cool. I always say, ‘Well congratulations! You know what would make this even better? If the Supervisor of Elections checked you in’,” Anderson said with a laugh. “It is a really cool moment.”
For anyone worried about safety at this year’s polls, Anderson said he’s got that covered too.
“I use my previous law enforcement experience as an advantage to make sure voters are safe. We train our clerks on safety awareness,” Anderson said. “I can tell you as a deputy sheriff, we are always made aware of voting activities.”
So far in Seminole County, 15% of voters have participated in early voting. Altamonte Springs has had the lowest early voter turnout so far of any of the early voting locations.
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