OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – It was a win on Election night for Democrat Marco López who defeated his no-party-affiliation challenger, Luis “Tony” Fernandez with 67.2% of the vote to become Osceola County’s new sheriff. “It wasn’t easy you know, a lot of people said I was the underdog,” said López, who made history becoming Osceola County’s first Hispanic sheriff elect. “I don’t think anyone wakes up in the morning and say: ‘Hey, I’m gonna make history today’,” López said the morning after Election Night. With a victory under his belt, López replaces Russ Gibson who has served Osceola County as sheriff since January 2017. We’re here for every citizen in Osceola County.”

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County Elections Supervisor Chris Anderson said when mail-in ballots were mailed-out to voters before the August primary election, not all voters received them. “We had an unusually high number of ballots, voters who were needing replacements,” Anderson said. "The Postal Service’s number one priority between now and Election Day is the secure, on-time delivery of the nation’s Election Mail. We employ a robust process to ensure proper handling of all Election Mail, including ballots. For information about how the Postal Service is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, please see: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/covid-19/,” the statement read.

As Florida continues to report thousands of new coronavirus cases daily, Supervisor of Elections are suggesting people request a vote-by-mail ballot. For those who enjoy the traditional stroll to the polls, election experts are pointing to early voting days as a viable option for voters to make sure their voices are heard while mitigating any exposure to COVID-19. [RELATED: Things to know about voting in Central Florida during the coronavirus pandemic]There’s a number of races across Central Florida, so make sure to brush up on your sample ballots and check out the candidates running for office using this link. For those hoping to cast their ballots early, here’s a list of early voting dates available by county. “We need to social distance between everyone within check-in and the voters as they are voting,” said Lisa Lewis, Volusia County Supervisor of Elections.