ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Ahead of the general election, Orange County supervisor of elections Bill Cowles is making sure he and his workers are all set, but he is also keeping in mind early voting numbers and the turnout.
“When we look back at 2018 for the first seven days, we are about 20,000 below what we did then, but we always know the second week is the higher turnouts,” Cowles said. “You’re talking about who will make the decisions about the quality of our lives in the state of Florida and in our county.”
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This coming ahead of a joint press conference Tuesday with supervisors of elections from Seminole, Orange, Lake, Osceola and Volusia counties to discuss early voter turnout.
It’s a similar tune in Seminole County where election officials tell News 6 their early voting numbers are down by almost 10,000 people compared to the first week of early voting in 2018.
In Brevard County, more than 80,000 people early voted in 2018. So far this year, past the halfway mark of early voting, the turnout is under 34,000 people.
“We are a little bit down as well. There have been a slow but steady pace of early voters coming through,” Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic said.
“I think voters are just taking their time to research their candidates. In Brevard, we have a very long ballot. We have anywhere from 11-19 amendments on the ballot depending on where you live,” Bobanic said.
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News 6 talked to Michael Walters who was early voting in Orange County ahead of the general election next week. He said he believes others should make their voices heard too.
“It just controls what happens in your schools, your kids, your taxes, your money,” Walters said.
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