Early Voting Gets Underway in Florida Today – Top 3 Takeaways – October 21st, 2024
- Go vote! We’re now only 15 days away from Election Day and Early Voting starts today throughout the state of Florida. In advance of early voting many Floridians have already taken the opportunity to do so as 1.165 million voters, or over 8% of eligible voters, have already returned vote by mail ballots to election supervisors in advance of today’s start to the state’s early in person voting. Starting today, early voting locations will be open across the state. In Palm Beach County there are 26 early voting locations to choose from that will remain open from 7 am to 7 pm daily through Sunday, November 3rd. For residents of Martin County, you have six locations to choose from that will be operating from 8 am to 5 pm daily through Saturday, November 2nd and in Indian River County early voting will be held at three locations from 8 am until 4 pm through Saturday, November 2nd. As a reminder you’re welcome to vote in any early voting location within the county that you’re registered to vote in. You need to bring a government issued photo ID when you go to the polls. Four years ago, a stunning 9,187,898 voters, or 83% of Floridians who voted, did so prior to Election Day – with either vote by mail ballots or through early in person voting. It was the first time in Florida’s history that most voters voted prior to Election Day, I suspect it won’t be the last. We saw a surge in vote by mail ballots four years ago due to the election taking place in the pandemic, and what’s clear is that far fewer voters will be voting that way this cycle. Current vote by mail ballot requests are running at only 40% of the levels we saw four years ago and with the deadline to request a vote by mail ballot hitting this week (requests must be made at least 12 days prior to Election Day) – that's not likely to change much. For that reason, I suspect that a) Early voting will surpass votes cast via vote by mail ballots but I also have a hunch that early voting will surpass turnout on Election Day as well – becoming the preferred way to vote by most Floridians in the process. Today my wonderful and talented wife Ashley and I will be going to vote, and I strongly encourage you to do the same as early as you’re able as well. Over the weekend Ashley and I were making the rounds with our Florida-based family (which is considerable) reminding them to get out and vote early. And that’s my message for you today too.
- Join us in voting today, or if not today, absolutely as soon as you’re able. As a reminder, voting early not only ensures that you do cast your vote, making sure that an Election Day emergency doesn’t result in you failing to cast a vote in the most important election of our lives, but it also has the potential to impact more than just your vote. As I’ve previously shared... voting early accomplishes two things. It ensures you don’t have an oh poo moment on Election Day that keeps you from being able to vote. But it also frees up party operatives from feeling as though they need to expend time and resources on you, to make sure you get out to vote. So, in voting early, you’re also allowing your party to focus on getting out the vote with those who might not be as reliable as you. The potential impact of those two factors – those who intend to vote on Election Day, but don’t because stuff happens, and parties being able to activate less reliable voters, is worth up to 5% of the vote. How many super important elections have been decided by 5% or less? It’s likely that Donald Trump would still be president today had so many Republicans not waited until Election Day to vote in 2020 across the country. So, by getting out to vote now, or as soon as you’re able, you’re potentially helping advance your political preferences this election cycle by even more than just the impact of your vote. So, get out and vote as early as possible! And on that note, here’s the related message from the 45th and God-willing 47th president of the United States. It’s now time to...
- Swamp The Vote! Eight years ago, Trump ran a campaign focused on “draining the swamp”. In June, he launched a campaign to “Swamp The Vote”. No this doesn’t specifically have anything to do with swamp creatures voting, it does have everything to do with early voting. In what is without a doubt the most important policy reversal Donald Trump has made since first entering politics, the former president, at every campaign stop, has been encouraging his supporters to “swamp the vote” through the early vote. Quoting Trump: Republicans must win and we must use every appropriate tool available to beat the Democrats. Whether you vote early, absentee, by mail or in person, we must swamp the radical Democrats with massive turnout. If we swamp them, they can’t cheat, it just doesn’t work out. And based on record early voting numbers by Republicans in Georgia (remarkably Republicans had outvoted Democrats by 5% in Georgia as of Sunday) and Virginia to date (among other important states), it looks like the message is being received and acted on by many voters. This election is the most important of our lives. We should act like it when we vote, not just how we vote. Don’t make excuses about waiting around to vote on Election Day for whatever reason. Vote like your community, your state and our country depends on it, because it does. Vote as early as you possibility can. It’s time to “Swamp the Vote” and thus Make American Great Again.