Floridians continued to turn out in heavy numbers over the weekend vote in the presidential election and other high-stakes contests, like proposals to legalize recreational marijuana for adults and enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.
As of Monday morning, almost 8.2 million Floridians had voted early or by mail. That represents 58.7% of state residents who are eligible and registered to vote.
Turnout was slightly higher in Broward and significantly higher in Palm Beach County.
The figures, from the state Division of Elections include in-person early voting, which ended Sunday in most of the state’s large counties. Also included are vote-by-mail ballots through Sunday.
The turnout so far shows that Floridians have changed how they think of elections, with the era of people queuing in long lines on Election Day may be a thing of the past. (That doesn’t mean lines are passé. WPLG-Ch. 10 reported some voters at large South Florida early voting locations on Sunday said they’d waited as long as 90 minutes.)
Republicans are dominating voting so far, both in total numbers and the percentage of voters casting ballots.
Through Sunday, 3,538,877 Florida Republicans had voted, 64.3% of those eligible.
Democratic turnout stood at 2,693,779, which is 60.9% of those eligible.
Independent/no party affiliation voters, and people registered with minor political parties, were voting in far fewer numbers. Through Sunday, 1,954,737 had voted or 48.5% of those registered.
The big unknown is how many of the people who have already voted are people who would have voted anyway on Tuesday if widespread in-person early voting and mail balloting weren’t available.
State Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, in a brief interview after a get out the vote rally Sunday in Fort Lauderdale said she thinks many of her party’s voters are waiting until Tuesday. That could prove problematic given weather forecasts predicting stormy weather on Election Day because of Tropical Depression 18 in the Caribbean.
For decades Florida was a presidential battleground state, and the candidates competed fiercely for its electoral voters.
But its increasing Republican leanings — which show up in recent years’ election results, voter registration trends and public opinion polls — mean it’s no longer in that category.
Independent nonpartisan analyses from Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and the University of Virginia Center for Politics list Florida as “likely” or “leans” Republican-red, just short of “solid” or “safe” red.
South Florida
Democrats are looking for every last possible vote they can find, particularly in places like Broward, which is overwhelmingly Democratic.
It’s too late for someone with a mail ballot to return it via the Postal Service and have it arrive back at the county election headquarters by the deadline, Tuesday at 7 p.m.
But speaking at a get-out-the-vote rally Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, said anyone who has a mail ballot they haven’t used should return it to a county supervisor of elections office.
“Don’t tear up that vote-by-mail ballot,” Wasserman Schultz said. ‘If you haven’t turned it in, you can bring it in.”
Wasserman Schultz is on the ballot on Tuesday, facing Chris Eddy, a Republican city commissioner from Weston. Getting as many Democratic ballots turned in would help her totals.
The county elections offices accept ballots on Monday and Tuesday. Mail ballots can’t be returned to neighborhood polling stations on Tuesday, but people who choose not to use them are allowed to vote in person on Election Day.
Palm Beach County voter turnout was running well ahead of the state as of midmorning Monday, according to data posted by Fresh Take Florida at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, which compiles figures from county supervisors of elections websites and the state Division of Elections.
Overall turnout in Palm Beach County was 569,501 votes, or 63.6%.
Republican turnout was 193,283 votes, or 67.0%.
Democratic turnout was 222,816 votes, or 67.3%.
No party affiliation/independent/third party turnout was 153,402 votes, or 55.5%.
Broward County voter turnout was running well ahead of the state as of midmorning Monday, the Fresh Take Florida data showed.
Overall turnout in Broward was 680,072 votes, or 59.5% as of midmorning Monday.
Republican turnout was 169,949 votes, or 63.9%.
Democratic turnout was 327,011 votes, or 63.6%.
No party affiliation/independent/third party turnout was 183,112 votes, or 50.5%.
This article will be updated. Check back for more information.
Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
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