Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones is expecting a big turnout for the Nov. 3 election. She is standing below the dropbox for mail-in (absentee) ballots at the front door of the elections office on Court Street in Bronson.

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Levy County Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones is predicting a record 85 percent voter turnout for the Nov. 3 election.

            “We have a lot of people interested in this election. Our registration is over 30,000 voters now. It has skyrocketed from 27,000 a year ago,” Jones said.

            The total number of registered voters as of Oct. 16 was 30,136.

            Early voting begins Monday at the elections office on Court Street in Bronson. Voters can cast early ballots from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 19 to Sunday, Nov. 1.

            Jones said the election has resulted in a record number of absentee ballots being sent out – 9,732 ballots. Absentee is another name for mail-in ballots which in Florida must be requested first from the elections office by the voter. Upon receipt of the ballot the voter can either mail it or deliver in person to the elections office

            None of the absentee ballots has been counted. The canvassing board will meet at 9 a.m. on Oct. 21 to count the absentee ballots received to that point, and again the following Wednesday.

            The total number of absentee ballots received as of Friday, Oct. 16 was 4,709, with 43.39 percent being Republican and 42.87 percent Democrat. More ballots were being counted as Jones was being interviewed.

            “We already have a 15 percent turnout with just the absentees,” Jones said.

            Levy County currently has 15,452 registered Republican voters, 8,744 registered Democrats, and 5,940 registered in other parties or with no party affiliation. All can vote in the Nov. 3 election.

            Deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot is Saturday, Oct. 24. The ballots must be received at the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Voters are encouraged to mail their ballots 7-10 days before Election Day.

            Jones said she believes a record number of mail-in ballots have been issued in every county in Florida and probably the nation.

            Jones has added two additional drop boxes for mail-in ballots, one each at the Chiefland and Williston libraries. Those drop boxes will be available during early voting hours. The drop box at the elections office is available throughout the election until 7 p.m. Election Day.

            Mail-in ballots that aren’t received by 7 p.m. on Election Day won’t be counted.

            Monday is expected to be a busy day for early voting.

            “I’ve done elections 26 years and I’ve never seen a turnout like the one we’ve had so far,” she said.

            When she first went to work for the elections office, Jones said there were 10,000 to 12,000 total registered voters in the county.

            Levy County has no requirement to wear a mask for in-person voting during early voting or on Election Day voting, but every precinct will offer masks and hand sanitizer for voters to use if they choose.

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt October 16, 2020

 Link to Levy Supervisor of Elections for more information: https://www.votelevy.com/