Collier County voters face new choices in redrawn Congressional District 22

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)—Collier County couple Edward and Shirley Menefe plan to drop their ballots off early for Florida's primary midterm election.

"I like to get it done," Edward Menefe said.

The Menefes and thousands of others across four South Florida counties will vote in Congressional District 22. The district takes parts of Collier County, Hendry County, goes across the state to Palm Beach County, and south to Broward County, according to Melissa Blazier, Collier County supervisor of elections.

Blazier recommends District 22 voters do their research on the seven candidates running for the Republican pick and the two for the Democratic pick.

"These candidates are not just candidates who live in Collier County," Blazier said. "They are spread across four counties."

"It is a very, very large district with a very diverse population," Blazier said.

Dr. Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida, said the new district maps can create new challenges in the race beyond political parties.

"It's gone from being a more Democratic district to a more Republican district," Jewett said. "But it also, because it's so large and sprawling, whoever wins this seat is going to have to represent a lot of different people and interests and occupations."

To voters like the Menefes, that's an important factor. When asked how they feel about the lines being redrawn and if it will impact their vote for the congressional district, Edward Menefe said he thinks it will.

"It will," Shirley Menefe said. "Yeah, it could impact our vote, but you do have to redraw lines as the population changes. It's a necessity that should be done based on population, and so I think that that is a good thing."