EARLY VOTING

News 6 got a look inside of the warehouse at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office

Several Central Florida supervisors of elections came together Tuesday to remind voters that early voting was going on — and now was the time to vote.

Early voting begins within a week for all of Central Florida.

Florida's primaries are just over two weeks away, and now every Central Florida county is offering early voting.

Early voting for the primary election has started in Orange and Osceola counties.

As in-person early voting gets underway in several Florida counties, almost a quarter of all mail-in ballots have already been returned in the Aug. 23 primary elections.

Early Voting held off hard-charging favorite Epicenter to win the Preakness Stakes.

So if you’re feeling a little left in the dark, as in, you still don’t realize all your early voting options, we’re here to fill you in. When it comes to early, in-person voting ...Again, it’s up to the state when it comes to specifics, timelines and more. In federal elections in the U.S., this still isn’t permitted -- not on Election Day and not in early voting. Author’s note: A lot of the early voting places where I live have very specific hours. Let us know what questions you have about early voting, in the comments below.

WILDWOOD, Fla. – Voters lined up early Tuesday to cast their ballots as early voting began in Sumter County. The first day of in-person voting in Sumter came after every other county in Central Florida began early voting on Monday. Throughout the day, there were lines at several polling locations across the region, with some areas experiencing wait times of more than an hour. According to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections, 16,179 people cast their ballot in-person Monday. In Sumter County, there are six polling locations for early voting:Laurel Manor Recreation Center 1985 Laurel Manor Drive, The VillagesAllamanda Recreation Center 1515 St. Charles Place, The VillagesRohan Recreation Center 850 Kristine Way, The VillagesTierra Del Sol Recreation Center 808 San Marina Drive, The VillagesVillages Sumter County Service Center 7375 Powell Road, Room #102, WildwoodBushnell Annex 316 E. Anderson Ave, BushnellEarly voting in Sumter County is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Oct. 20 until Oct. 31.

Florida reports more than 1,700 new coronavirus cases as early voting beginsPublished: October 19, 2020, 12:35 pmOn Monday, Florida Department of Health officials reported 1,707 new cases of the respiratory illness with the 2020 election a little more than three weeks away.

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The most populous counties reported wait times of 15 minutes or less at most of their early voting sites Monday, although a few sites reported waits of up to 90 minutes. The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning's arena and the NFL's Tampa Buccaneers stadium are also being used as early voting sites as sports teams around the country have been encouraging turn out. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, will visit Orlando and Jacksonville on Monday to encourage her party’s voters to cast early ballots. Under state law, counties can offer up to two weeks of early voting and many do, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and other population centers. That resulted in the closure of the early voting site at the county’s main office, but four other sites remained open.

Here’s when early voting will take place in Central Florida countiesPublished: August 3, 2020, 9:31 amFloridians planning to vote in local primary elections can cast their ballots early in the interest of avoiding crowds at the polls.

DeSantis grants more flexibility to Supervisor of Elections for upcoming electionsPublished: June 18, 2020, 12:31 pmOn Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that would allow some flexibility under state law for elections supervisors to begin processing mail-in ballots earlier than the law would typically allow, according to the Miami Herald.

Many people in Florida opted in for early voting, possibly to skip the long lines on primary day or for a whole slew of other reasons. But what are you supposed to do if you voted early for a candidate who has already dropped out -- before Florida’s primary on March 17? And anyone who votes for that person will have his or her vote count -- as in, a vote for that candidate. Many states follow this same rule, but there are a few places that will let you have a re-do if your candidate dropped out before the primary. As you can see from this primary alone, many candidates drop out right before or directly after the juggernaut primary day.