Thousands cast ballots in Southwest Florida as early voting begins

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Thousands of people cast ballots in Southwest Florida on Saturday as early voting kicked off across the state. 

A small stream of people trickled into the downtown Fort Myers library as election volunteers welcomed people inside. It didn’t matter who they voted for. Almost everyone gave the same reason for showing up.

“It’s important to vote,” Derek Carey said. “That’s the only way you get your voice heard.” 

Early voting runs for one week ahead of the Aug. 18 primary. You must show a valid form of identification at polling places. That includes a drivers license, passport, or a concealed carry permit. 

August primary elections usually draw low participation, said Collier County Elections Supervisor Melissa Blazier. 1,935 people voted in Collier County on Saturday, according to the elections office website. 

“It’s not a general election,” Blazier said. “But it’s good for a primary election."

State lawmakers recently drew new congressional maps, leading to an education campaign across Southwest Florida. The legislature shuffled some voters into new congressional districts ahead of the primary. More than 173,000 voters were impacted by re-districting in Collier County, Blazier said. The elections office sent out information cards to inform voters of the change. 

Most of the impacted voters are in Congressional District 22. The district once centered around Palm Beach County. Now it stretches across the state to Marco Island. 

Lee County Elections Supervisor Jenna Persons-Mulicka served on the Florida House committee that helped draw the new maps. Persons-Mulicka represented Fort Myers for six years in the Florida House, first winning election in 2020. She championed several election-related measures, including Florida’s version of the SAVE Act. 

HB 991 requires Florida voters to prove U.S. citizenship with a birth certificate, passport, or REAL ID driver’s license. New voter registrations are checked against Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle records. It also eliminates the use of student ID’s and retirement center ID’s at the polls. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Persons-Mulicka as Lee County Supervisor of Elections after Tommy Doyle retired earlier this year. 

“I absolutely love my job,” Persons-Mulicka said. “It’s been incredibly exciting and I stepped in to head up an already great team.”

Blazier said Collier County runs a manual audit once the election results are certified. The elections office randomly selects a precinct and hand counts ballots. Both Collier and Lee County held public logic and accuracy tests of voting machines ahead of early voting. Workers test the accuracy of voting equipment before ballots are cast. 

“It’s very important to us to ensure, you know, the integrity of folks’ votes,” Blazier said. “And that’s how we double check all of it.”

Both officials encouraged people to vote. Blazier noted that some Collier County races have been decided by less than a dozen votes. Some people already got the message. 

Maria Ortiz said she became a citizen three years ago. She proudly cast a ballot with her daughter in downtown Fort Myers on Saturday. 

“In this country our vote counts,” Ortiz said. “And they do listen to you."