- November 5, 2024
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It’s finally Election Day.
Polls across Sarasota and Manatee counties opened at 7 a.m. for voters who did not use mail-in ballots or go to early voting locations.
Just before 7 a.m., more than 20 people were lines up outside the Bayfront Community Center behind the Municipal Auditorium to cast ballots.
The site was not only the polling place for Precinct 203, but also for two precincts normally on St. Armands. The supervisor of elections office had determined the sites on the island were still dealing with damage from recent hurricanes Helene and Milton.
At exactly 7 a.m., the doors swung open and an elections worker simply announced, "We're ready. The polls are open."
After the initial crush of voters, things seemed to move smoothly for the steady stream of citizens showing up to cast their ballot.
Chuck Muth said he votes on Election Day rather than voting early. "It's the tradition of it," he said, although he said he and his wife had thought about voting early, "but never got around to it. It's important; I wanted to vote."
Bill Waddill said his voting experience was a pleasant one. "Super easy. The volunteers are as friendly as can be, big smiles on their faces," he said.
Voting on Election Day was also important to him. "It's a feeling of civic pride from voting on the voting day," he said.
With 333,464 registered voters in Sarasota County, more than 65% have already cast their ballot, either by mail or at early voting locations.
Looking at the early turnout, more than 107,000 registered Republicans have voted before Nov. 5, compared to about 62,000 Democrats and 50,772 voters registered with a third party or no party affiliation.
With early voting closing Sunday, Nov. 3, more than 121,000 people voted early, and more than 97,000 people turned in mail ballots.
By 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, more than 11,000 people had voted, according to the supervisor of elections website.
Nearly 60% of Manatee County’s 281,798 registered voters have already cast their ballots. Among early voters, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-1; More than 86,000 Republicans have voted, compared to 44,000 Democrats and 38,000 residents with other affiliations.
With early voting closing Saturday, Nov. 2, almost twice as many people voted in person at early voting locations than filled out mail-in ballots.
By 8:45 a.m., Tuesday, more than 10,000 people had cast ballots, according to the supervisor of elections website.
Elections Supervisor Ron Turner announced last month that at least eight polling places will be moved on Nov. 5 because of infrastructure damage from recent hurricanes. Most involve precincts on Siesta Key and the City of Sarasota.
The Sarasota County list includes:
The Manatee County polling location changes include:
You can check the location of your polling place by visiting the supervisor of elections website (https://www.sarasotavotes.gov/Election-Information/Precinct-List-and-Maps).
Election results are expected to begin to be posted after the polls close at 7 p.m. on both elections supervisors’ websites.
Florida law requires all voters to provide a current and valid photo and signature identification upon check-in prior to voting in person.
Accepted Forms of ID:
If your photo ID does not contain your signature, an additional ID with your signature is required.
If you do not present acceptable ID, you will have the opportunity to vote a provisional ballot.
If your signature on the provisional ballot certificate does not match your signature on file with the elections office, you will need to complete and return a provisional ballot cure affidavit (English/Español) to the elections office by 5 p.m. on the second day following the election.
The canvassing board consisting of the supervisor of elections, county judge and county commissioner determines the legality of provisional ballots.
Upon arriving at your polling location, an election worker will ask you to have your photo and signature ID ready to present at check-in.
Present your ID and a poll worker will confirm your information and that you are in the correct polling location, ask you to sign the electronic poll book and issue you a ballot.
You will be directed to a voting booth to mark your ballot. Use the black pen provided in the booth to completely fill in the oval adjacent to your choice in each race or question on the ballot.
Review your selections for accuracy and then take your ballot to the tabulator and insert the ballot into the optical scan reader. Important: If you have any questions or make a mistake on your ballot, ask a poll worker for assistance. Once the ballot has been scanned, it cannot be retrieved.
The tabulator will record your votes and drop your ballot into the secure, locked ballot box. Learn more about the voting system used in Sarasota County.
If you request a vote-by-mail ballot for an election but decide instead to vote in person, you may surrender your VBM ballot at your polling place. A poll worker will cancel the VBM ballot and issue you a regular ballot. On election day, vote-by-mail ballots may be returned to an elections office location by 7 p.m., but cannot be dropped off at a polling place to be counted.
Florida law prohibits anyone from being in the voting booth with any voter except as provided by this section. A voter may request the assistance of two election officials or some other person of the voter's own choice, other than the voter's employer, an agent of the employer, or an officer or agent of his or her union.
If not previously requested, a voter needing assistance by reason of blindness, disability or inability to read or write must complete an affidavit at the polling location to secure assistance before entering the voting booth.
