LEE COUNTY, Fla. —
Early voting began Monday morning in multiple counties across the Gulf Coast, with 12 Lee County locations opening at 10 a.m.
Voters in Lee County can cast their ballots in person at any polling place until 6 p.m. every day through October 31 or drop off their vote-by-mail ballots.
About 7,700 voters across Lee County voted at polling locations on the first day of early voting, with many emphasizing the ease and efficiency of these methods.
“I think it’s really smart to vote early. There are no lines. I was in and out in ten minutes,” said Allen McDaniel, a voter who supports early voting.
Another voter, Mary Azzara, shared her perspective, saying, “I mean, the ease of it all. You know, you could look at the ballot at home and really look at what you’re doing and think about really who you want to vote for and stuff like that.”
In the 2024 general election, about 163,000 people in Lee County voted early, while 168,000 cast their ballots by mail. This year, Michael O’Brien opted for vote-by-mail, citing concerns about long lines.
“I saw all the news clips of people waiting in line for hours and hours out in the hot South Florida sun. So, I said I’m not going to do that,” O’Brien said.
He also described the vote-by-mail process as thorough. “The scrutiny, I thought, was a very rigid process: getting in, [voting], [signing] up for it, you know,” he said.
The Lee County early voting locations are:
Bonita Springs Election Office, Bonita Commons 25987 S Tamiami Trail #105 Bonita Springs, FL 34134 Cape Coral Elections Office, Commissioner John E. Manning Government Complex
1039 SE 9th Ave, Cape Coral, FL 33990 Cape Coral Lee County Public Library, 921 SW 39th Terrace, Cape Coral, FL 33914 Dr. Carrie D. Robinson Center, 2990 Edison Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33916East County Regional Library, 881 Gunnery Rd N, Lehigh Acres, FL 33971 Estero Recreation Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero, FL 33928 Fort Myers Regional Library, 1651 Lee St, Fort Myers, FL 33901 Lakes Regional Library, 15290 Bass Rd, Fort Myers, FL 33919 Lee County Elections Center, 13180 S Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33907 North Fort Myers Recreation Center, 2000 N Recreation Parkway, North Fort Myers, FL 33903 Northwest Regional Library, 519 Chiquita Blvd N, Cape Coral, FL 33993 Veterans Park Recreation Center, 55 Homestead Rd S, Lehigh Acres, FL 33936
Charlotte County has four early voting sites open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
Centennial Park Recreation Center, 1120 Centennial Blvd, Port Charlotte, FL 33953 Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, 75 Taylor St, Punta Gorda, FL 33950 Mac V. Horton West County Annex, 6868 San Casa Dr, Englewood, FL 34224 Mid-County Regional Library, 2050 Forrest Nelson Blvd, Port Charlotte, FL 33952
In Hendry County, early voting and ballot drop-off begin at 9 a.m.:
Supervisor of Elections Office, 25 E. Hickpochee Ave., LaBelle Supervisor of Elections Office, 1100 S. Olympia St., Clewiston
Registered voters in Collier and DeSoto counties can start early voting on Thursday, October 22, while Glades County will begin early voting on Saturday, October 24.
Early voting for all counties will end on October 31, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
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