LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — At first glance, it looked like a normal delivery. The unmarked box truck pulled into the parking lot, carefully backing up to the front doors. Men in blue t-shirts quietly got out of the cab, opening up the back. 

That’s when the special cargo was revealed. First, the voting booth. Then, the tabulator. Finally, the ballot box. Workers rolled them into the back of the downtown Fort Myers library on Friday, an unceremonious sign that election season has arrived. 

Lee, Charlotte, and Hendry County start early voting on Monday, after months of preparation by elections officials. That includes educating voters about re-districting, after state lawmakers shuffled thousands of Southwest Florida voters into new congressional districts.

More than 173,000 voters were impacted by re-districting in Collier County, according to Supervisor of Elections Melissa Blazier. That’s led to some confusion. 

“I had some voters call, especially when they received their sample ballot or vote-by-mail ballot, and asked, ‘Hey, why isn’t this particular congressional race on my ballot,” said Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections. 

Persons-Mulicka that helped draw the new map. She for six years in the Florida House, first winning election in 2020. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her as Lee County Supervisor of Elections after She is running against this year. 

Persons-Mulicka said she hopes to get around 60% turnout during the general election. The elections office introduced a ‘kids ballot’ to encourage more families to vote. Children can choose characters like Captain America and Iron Man for ‘U.S. Senator’ – or alligators and flamingos for ‘favorite Florida wildlife.’ The kids ballots are only available during early voting. The elections office will announce the results after the general election. 

“We want voting to be a fun experience for the entire family,” Persons-Mulicka said. 

Early voting runs through Oct. 31. You must show a valid form of identification at polling places. That includes a drivers license, passport, or a concealed carry permit. 

Here are early voting times and locations across Southwest Florida:

Lee County

Early voting in Lee County runs from Monday, Oct. 19, through Saturday, Oct. 31.

Voting is 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily

for a list of locations. 

Collier County

Early voting in Collier County runs from Oct. 22 through Oct. 31

Voting is 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily

for a list of locations.

Charlotte County

Early voting in Charlotte County runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 31

Voting is 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

for a list of locations.

Hendry County

Early voting in Hendry County runs from Oct. 19 through Oct. 31

Voting is 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

for a list of locations.

DeSoto County

Early voting in DeSoto County runs from Oct. 22 through Oct. 31

Voting is 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

for a list of locations

Glades County 

Early voting in Glades County runs from Oct. 24 through Oct. 31

Voting is 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

for a list of locations