Early voting for the 2024 General Election started Oct. 21 for most counties in Florida. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix)
Monday marked the earliest date Floridians could vote in person, as all but 16 counties in Florida started early voting.
Nine counties will open voting on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and the remaining seven will open on Saturday.
As of 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, Fresh Take Florida reported that more than 1.44 million votes had been cast, including 217,000 early ballots.
The state reported that 1.16 million voters had returned vote-by-mail ballots as of Monday morning.
Gov. Ron DeSantis spent the first day of early voting at a news conference with doctors opposing Amendment 4, an initiative to guarantee the right to an abortion in the Florida Constitution.
The campaign-like event was his most recent effort against the amendment and followed cease-and-desist letters to TV stations airing advertisements in support of the amendment; a state-run website in opposition to the amendment; and an unprecedented financial impact statement inflating the potential costs to taxpayers that will accompany the amendment on the ballot.
Standing behind a podium that read, “Doctors Against Amendment 4,” DeSantis and the doctors campaigned against the amendment in Coral Gables in an event promoted by the office of the governor.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried started the first day of early voting with a news conference outside the Leon County Courthouse, where she cast her early ballot.
“I think that the Democratic Party across the country has done everything possible,” Fried said, “to make sure that we’ve got a groundswell every part of this country. That is one thing that has been done really well in this election cycle, is that in every state, no matter if they are red states, they are blue states, they are purple battleground states, the amount of people that are on the ground knocking on doors, carrying the message, has been unprecedented.”
Candidates Yen Bailey and Daryl Parks, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, and Reps. Allison Tant and Gallop Franklin speak to the media before casting early ballots at the Leon County Courthouse on Oct. 21, 2024. (Photo: Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix)
Fried was joined by Leon County Florida Senate candidate Daryl Parks, candidate for Congress Yen Bailey, and state Reps. Allison Tant and Gallop Franklin.
Fried joined national Democratic Party Chair Jaime Harrison in Orlando Monday afternoon for another early voting kickoff appearance.
Damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton altered how some Floridians will vote, forcing movement of balloting from damaged polling locations and delaying deadlines and suspending some laws.
The accommodations were made through an executive order from DeSantis. The most up-to-date voting information can be found on the supervisor of elections website for each county.
Election day is Nov. 5.
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