Chris Cowart, candidate for superintendent of schools, parked his 1951 Chevy pickup near election headquarters. The photo was taken after voting hours, hence no voters standing in line for early voting.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Levy County voters continued setting records in advance of Tuesday’s general election with early voting and absentees surpassing 2016 vote totals by more than 2,000 each.
Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones has changed her prediction for total voter turnout from 85 percent to a range of 80 percent to 85 percent, signaling a record election turnout either way.
Tomorrow is the final day of early voting. Polls close at 6 p.m.
As of 6 p.m. Saturday at the close of polls, a total of 14,693 voters had cast ballots either as absentee (mail-in) or in early voting. Early votes accounted for 7,360 of the total and mail-in (absentee) accounted for 7,306. Provisionals total 27.
Provisional ballots are those that have been cast but the Levy County Canvassing Board hasn’t determined if the vote can be counted for reasons set out in state statute.
The total Republican vote was 7,986 compared to 4,572 for Democrats. Those voters with no party affiliation totaled 1,838 and other categories 297. Percentage of registered voters casting ballots – 48.81 percent.
The comparison of the 2016 election totals to the 2020 pre-election totals:
2016
- Election Day 9,287
- Early voting 5,108
- Vote-by-Mail 5,182
- Provisionals that were accepted 26
- Total votes 19,603
- Total eligible 26,832
- 73 percent turnout
2020
- Election Day – to be determined
- Early Voting 7,304
- Vote-by-Mail 7,306
- Provisionals to be counted – to be determined
- Total voters – to be determined
- Turnout through 4 p.m. Saturday 48.62 percent
The big race that’s bringing out record numbers of voters is the presidency.
Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are at the top of the ballot. They are being challenged by Democrats Joe Biden and his vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris.
U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn has no challenger listed on the ballot.
State Senate District 5 Republican Jennifer Bradley lost her opponent, Democrat Melina Rayna Farley Barratt, a transgender candidate, to cancer. Democrats have chosen State Committeewoman Stacey Peters to take her place in the District 5 race.
Peters paid the qualifying fee to replace Farley Barratt as the District 5 candidate, but Peters name won’t be on the ballot. However, all votes that were cast for Farley-Barratt will go to Peters, according to Levy County Commission Chairman Matt Brooks, a member of the Levy County Canvassing Board.
“Basically when that candidate passed, the state allowed for someone to qualify and be named to run in that person’s stead,” Brooks said. “Since the ballots were already printed the other person’s name remains on the ballot, but any vote that goes to the original candidate will actually be a vote for Stacey Peters.”
Jones confirmed Brooks’ understanding of state law and how the District 5 race would be run.
Republican Superintendent of Schools candidate Chris Cowart, a school board member, is being opposed by Jerry Lawrence, a former principal with no party connections.
State Rep. District 22 candidate Joe Harding is being opposed by Democrat Barbara Bryan.
Constitutional Amendment 1 provides that only United States citizens who are 18 years of age and a permanent resident of Florida are qualified to vote in Florida.
Constitutional Amendment 2 would raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour effective Sept. 30, 2021, and would increase by $1 per hour until the minimum wage reaches $15 per hour on Sept. 30, 2026.
Constitutional Amendment 3 would open primaries to allow all registered voters in the state regardless of political party affiliation to vote for state legislature, governor, and cabinet positions. The two top candidates with the most votes, no matter their party affiliation, would advance to the general election.
Constitutional Amendment 4 would require all future constitutional amendments to be approved by voters in two elections instead of one election as it stands now.
Constitutional Amendment 5 would extend the period during which a person may transfer Save Our Home benefits to a new homestead property from two to three years.
Constitutional Amendment 6 provides that the homestead property tax discount for certain veterans with combat-related disabilities carries over to the veteran’s surviving spouse who holds legal title to and who permanently resides on the homestead property until he or she remarries or sells or otherwise disposes of the property. The discount may be transferred to a new homestead property for the surviving spouse under certain conditions.
———————
Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt October 31, 2020; Posted October 31, 2020
