Early voting got underway today in the race to determine who will lead Orlando for the next four years. A crowd of campaigners waved signs for their candidates outside the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office. Orlando residents emerged from the building—some holding American flags and others wearing stickers that read “I voted.”
Supervisor of elections Bill Cowles said more than 100 people showed up to his office to cast their ballots within the first four hours of polls opening.
“We expect that we’ll have a steady crowd between now and Sunday when their early voting ends," he said. "For a lot of people, they like to vote on that first opportunity they get, or they wait until closer to the end to do it.”
Winston Johnson has voted every election for the past thirty years. He came to cast his ballot on his lunch break.
“Generally, during the regular election, polls be crowded," he said. "So, quite surprised—I thought I was going to come down and see the place packed, but it wasn’t, and that was really good.”
Jan Thompson, a former poll worker, cast her ballot early because she has plans on general election day next Tuesday.
“These smaller races, it’s a shame that they don’t get a better turnout," she reflected. "But it’s still important to vote. It’s hard to tell on the first day or early voting. Actually, this is probably pretty encouraging that anyone is voting early.”
Early voting ends on Sunday at the Supervisor of Elections Office. The process requires a photo ID and signature and is designed to take five minutes.