85 percent of precincts reporting at 11 p.m., almost 93,000 votes had been cast,
With more than half of eligible voters making their voices heard, about 18 percent more people turned out in Lee County for this year’s election than the last midterm election in 2006.
About 102,000 people cast their ballots today, bringing the total turnout to almost 184,000, including absentee ballots and early voters.
Elections Supervisor Sharon Harrington attributed the heightened interest to a few factors.
The number of races on the ballot was one draw, she said, as was the perceived discontent among voters.
“I think people were so unhappy with the way things were going,” Harrington said.
But the negative campaigning also brought a lot more attention to some of the races, she said.
“It’s been probably the most negative campaigning I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Not just in Lee County; it’s been all over the state and all over the country. There was a lot of backbiting and mudslinging.”
Today’s results aren’t official yet, as an estimated 1,000 or so ballots, including provisional ballots, have yet to be counted. No local races, however, were close enough to trigger recalls.
In Collier County, with about 85 percent of precincts reporting at 11 p.m., almost 93,000 votes had been cast, compared to a final total of almost 88,000 in 2006.
Statewide, 5.4 million voters had cast ballots by 11 p.m., or about 48 percent of registered voters.
In Lee County, voting went smoothly, Harrington said, with only a few minor issues, including some jammed machines and temporarily frozen scanners. The elections office also fielded calls and e-mails from voters who were unsure where or how to vote today.
“We always have those last-minute folks that just wait,” she said.
However, the presence at 11 precincts of armed guards, which have been used by the county at polling locations for six years, drew the concern of Will Prather, chairman of Lee County’s Democratic Party
(source:news-press.com)
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