ORLANDO, Fla.— Central Florida residents that want to vote early but have not yet still have about a week to participate in early voting, with all counties in the area now offering it.
Voters need to bring a valid photo ID, like a driver’s license or state identification card.
Early voting is expected to end on Saturday or Sunday, depending on the county. Election Day on November 3.
According to the University of Florida Election Lab, more than 2.5 million Floridians have already cast their ballots.
In Orange County alone, more than 14,000 people showed up to the polls on Saturday, according to county election officials.
In total, Orange County has seen nearly 147,000 early voters flock to the polls, officials said.
Supervisor of Elections Karen Castor Dentel said voter numbers are averaging around 13,000 a day. She said this is nearly double the turnout seen in the 2022 midterm elections for early voting.
Since early voting began on October 19, that first Monday had the highest turnout, totaling over 19,700 early voters. Friday saw just over 18,000.
Those numbers include mail in ballots as well.
Castor Dentel said she can tell many voters have done their research, with many bringing their sample ballots in ready to go.
“They come in, they just bring their sample ballot with all the answers,” Castor Dentel said. “It’s like an open-book test, and they are easily and quickly filling out their actual ballots, and I think that’s really helped reduce any long lines.”
Out of their 27 voting locations, Castor Dentel said the busiest polling place across the board is the Apopka Community Center.
But lines have remained flowing.
For Orange County, the deadline to request a mail-in ballot has passed, so Castor Dentel said if you haven’t requested one, you should plan to vote in person.