Almost 4.3 million Floridians have cast ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election, according to Florida Division of Elections data released Oct. 30. That is nearly one-third of the state’s 13.7 million registered voters. Voters registered as Republicans have been more active so far, although Democrats still lead in the number of mail ballots returned.
According to state data, more than 1.72 million votes were cast by registered Republicans, compared with nearly 1.65 million by Democrats. Democrats maintain the advantage in mail voting, having returned 762,012 ballots to Republicans’ 622,664. The opposite is true for in-person early voting, which 1,102,078 Republicans and 886,053 Democrats have used. In addition, more than 900,000 votes were cast by independents and voters registered with smaller parties.
Voter registration data show that the Republican Party holds a numerical advantage in Florida. As of Sept. 30, there were 5,678,755 registered Republicans and 4,133,397 registered Democrats. Another 3,345,188 people did not declare a party affiliation, and 514,782 voters were registered with smaller parties. The picture is different nationwide. According to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, almost 9.8 million registered Democrats, 7 million Republicans and 5.5 million independents and voters affiliated with smaller parties have so far taken part in early voting.
Early voting in Florida began Oct. 24 and is scheduled to end Saturday, Oct. 31, unless individual counties decide to extend it.
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. People standing in line before the polls close will retain the right to cast their ballots.
Editor: JŁ
Source: Słoneczne Radio
