By Terry Witt -Spotlight Senior Reporter

Levy County voters have set a record for the number of absentee ballots cast in an election with 5,253 recorded already.

The total number of absentees won’t be known until the polls close at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Absentees can be cast until 7 p.m. Any absentees arriving late won’t be counted.

 

Early Levy County voters have cast 3,443 ballots. Early voting has concluded. The early voting total was not a record, but the total of the absentees and early votes combined is a record.

“If no one voted tomorrow, 31 percent (of registered voters in the county) have voted,” said Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones.

She said the number of early votes and absentees is an indication of high voter interest in this mid-term election.

“We’re expecting a 65 percent turnout,” she said.

The election is national in one sense. Every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is on the ballot. Voters across the nation are turning out in high numbers to cast ballots for Congress in their state and local races.

The Levy County Canvassing Board consisting of County Judge James T. Browning, County Commission Chairman John Meeks and Jones is meeting tonight to count absentee ballots in the back room of the elections office.

Canvassing board meetings are open to the public but it’s rare to see any residents watching the count.

A tall stack of absentee ballots was resting on the table. The ballots were opened and inserted in a vote scanner. The scanner recorded the votes. The votes won’t be tabulated until after the polls close at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

A number of controversial amendments are on the ballot. One amendment would give voters the power to determine whether gambling casinos are established. Another would prohibit offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

There are other hidden issues that aren’t actually on the ballot that could increase voter turnout.

House Democratic leaders have promised to impeach President Trump if they take control of the House of Representatives. Democrats oppose building a wall on the southwest border and have criticized Trump for his promise to use military force to stop a caravan of Latinos from entering the United States.

Trump isn’t on the ballot, and won’t be on the ballot until 2020, but many see this election as a referendum on Trump’s presidency. Trump crisscrossed the nation stumping for Republicans running for Congress.

Levy County Canvassing Board  November 5, 2016

Posted November 5, 2016