TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Early voting at designated polling places will begin Monday in most Florida counties, as the Nov. 8 general election nears, according to the state Division of Elections.
Typically offered at public libraries, elections offices, government buildings or community centers, early voting is mandated from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5. However, county elections supervisors have the discretion to begin sooner and to keep early-voting locations open on Nov. 6.
All but 17 of Florida's 67 counties will open early-voting locations on Monday. Sumter County will start Tuesday.
Dixie County will begin Oct. 27. Bay, Columbia, Franklin, Gilchrist, Gulf, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Highlands, Lafayette, Madison, Pasco, Suwannee, Union and Walton will start early voting on Oct. 29, according to a Division of Elections report.
While early voting will begin next week, 886,473 Floridians had already cast vote-by-mail ballots as of Thursday morning.
Republicans accounted for 369,528 returned vote-by-mail ballots, and Democrats had returned 356,661. Unaffiliated voters had submitted 136,863 ballots, and minor-party voters had accounted for 23,421.
