VOTING

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

Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson said they’re working to make sure residents have a smooth voting experience, offering tips for new and seasoned voters alike.

What do those terms mean and how have they become an issue for how elections are covered? An expert weighs in.

Voting: It’s one of the most American things we do every two years -- and along with it comes the peaceful transfer of power, democracy in action, and the voices of the people heard in the solemn right of civic duty.

Groups across the state of Virginia work all year long to get students registered to vote in high school and college -- the idea being, if these students start young, they’ll vote their entire lives.

The Chicago Board of Elections announced a delay in the start of early voting until May 31 because of ballot changes.

Early Voting won the 2022 Preakness Stakes, outracing Epicenter and Creative Minister. Early Voting came into the race as one of the favorites to win.

Exercising your right to vote can be confusing or intimidating, regardless if you’re a first-time voter or a veteran. KPRC 2 News and KSAT, our San Antonio sister-station, worked to create a comprehensive resource to make sure every eligible Texan can vote and is counted.

When it comes to voting these days, it’s a bit of a hot topic.

Central Florida residents are joining federal leaders and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s family calling for action on two bills aimed at protecting voting rights.

From elections to vaccines, state and federal courts are weighing major Florida lawsuits. Here are 10 big legal issues to watch in 2022.

Early voting started in the special election for Palm Coast mayor, continuing until July 24. In-person Election Day is on July 27.

Flexing its new strength, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has cut back on a landmark federal voting rights law.

The method, in which voters are asked to rank candidates, has gained traction as a way to more accurately reflect the will of the majority. But detractors warn there are potential downsides, too.

Ranked choice voting is expected to delay the results; former cop Eric Adams and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang led in Democratic polls.

Early voting is already underway.

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., said he will push the Democratic Party to elect the House leadership in 2022 by ranked-choice voting, and that he plans to make this reform central to his agenda going forward.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will sign Senate Bill 90 into law.

Civil and voter rights groups filed federal lawsuits against the state and election officials saying the new law impedes access to voting for minority and elderly voters.

Early voting begins for Georgia Senate runoff elections Early voting began Monday in Georgia for the two runoff elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Early voting ends on January 1, followed by Election Day on January 5. CBSN political reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns joins CBSN from Atlanta with the latest.

Seven senators are now at least 80 years old, with four of those members being older than 85. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is 78 years old and was just elected to serve another term. “I think you can absolutely make that case.”Are there solutions to bring in younger candidates? “There’s less of a pull for younger candidates,” Dulio said. “I think it would take a concerted effort on the part of the political parties to recruit younger candidates,” Dulio said.

Here are some photos of Trump supporters in protest, courtesy of Getty Images. (Getty Images)Trump supporters in Phoenix, Arizona. (Getty Images)Photo by John Moore (Getty Images)Trump supporters in Lansing, Michigan. (Getty Images)Trump supporters in Phoenix, Arizona. (Getty Images)Trump supporters in Phoenix, Arizona.

With the news that Joe Biden had defeated President Donald Trump in this year’s presidential election after days of counting votes, supporters of Biden took to the streets to celebrate. Here are some photos of Biden supporters celebrating his win, courtesy of Getty Images. Photo by Stephanie Keith (Getty Images)Biden supporters in Minneapolis. (Getty Images)Biden supporters in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)Biden supporters in Philadelphia.

Even though the final figures still have to be tabulated, it appears the 2020 general election is already a record-setting one. As of Wednesday morning, there were an all-time high of 160,002,000 total votes cast, according to the United States Election Project. In terms of turnout as a percentage of the voting-eligible population, that number is higher than it’s been in more than 100 years. The turnout as a percentage of the voting-eligible population for this election was 66.9% as of Wednesday morning, according to the United States Election Project. That’s the highest percentage of VEP turnout since 1900, when the number was 73.7%.

Even though the final figures still have to be tabulated, it appears the 2020 general election is already a record-setting one. As of Wednesday morning, there were an all-time high of 160,002,000 total votes cast, according to the United States Election Project. In terms of turnout as a percentage of the voting-eligible population, that number is higher than it’s been in more than 100 years. The turnout as a percentage of the voting-eligible population for this election was 66.9% as of Wednesday morning, according to the United States Election Project. That’s the highest percentage of VEP turnout since 1900, when the number was 73.7%.

(Automatic Voting Machine Co/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)A hand as it inserts a ballot into a box during the U.S. presidential election in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Nov. 2, 1948. (PhotoQuest/Getty Images)An over-the-shoulder view of an unidentified woman as she demonstrates how to use an IBM voting machine in 1966. The voter casts a ballot by punching holes in a card, which then drops into a ballot box. (Getty Images)A hand presses the switch, marking a selection in a 1970s-style voting machine. (Getty Images)A view showing empty voting booths during the Senate elections in 1986.

Postal Service to have postal inspectors sweep underperforming facilities for election mail. Seven battleground states conducting sweeps do not allow ballots to be counted after Election Day: Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Maine. According to new court filings, scores have steadily declined since Wednesday, when the USPS reported it moved 97% of ballots on time. To fix the issues, USPS has provided “multiple layers of operational oversight,” is coordinating closely with the USPS inspector general and has been holding daily troubleshooting calls. Some post offices have implemented “local turnaround.”That’s where ballots are being delivered directly to local boards of election instead of going through normal mail processing.

TAVARES, Fla. – Voters in Lake County ran into problems Tuesday morning shortly after polls opened in Florida on Election Day. “We identified a computer problem in some precincts that incorrectly identified some voters were not registered in that precinct,” said Alan Hays, Lake County supervisor of elections. “The problem was isolated immediately, and corrective action was initiated. The solution is being deployed and everything will be fine very shortly.”Hays said he appreciated the voters' patience as his agency worked to correct the issue, which was resolved before 8:30 a.m.For more election updates in Florida, click here.

To see what exactly the ballot measures are in each state, click or tap here. Below are five noteworthy initiatives we thought we’d mention from across the country. Mississippi’s flag redesignThe state Legislature in June eliminated the old state flag that had the Confederate battle emblem, which was widely thought of as racist. California’s app-based driving proposalThis initiative will decide whether app-based transportation and delivery drivers are classified as independent contractors or as employees. Colorado’s abortion banThis is a ballot initiative that will likely draw a lot of attention across the nation.

We’ve heard of people out in droves who voted early or sent a mail-in ballot. Lines at early-voting precincts have had some crowds waiting hours -- but to cast a ballot, many find the time well-spent. Pflughoeft was fascinated with politics and determined to vote in the 2020 General Election, so she mailed in her ballot early. All the other states have various stipulations as to whether they will allow the ballot of a deceased person to count, such as when the person died and when the death is learned. However, if past elections are any indication, votes from people who pass away before Election Day generally don’t have an impact on the results, according USA Today.

The Ocoee Massacre, the day when dozens of African-Americans were killed by a white mob after Moses Norman tried to legally cast his ballot in the city. On Monday, Orlando and Orange County leaders met with descendants of the victims killed in the tragedy at a new exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center. “To know that a loved one was lynched, for no reason -- senseless -- that is not something that you talk about day to day,” McWhite said. On Wednesday, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings declared Nov. 2 as “The Descendants of the Ocoee Massacre: Honoring their Ancestors Day” in Orange County. Ron DeSantis also issued a proclamation designating Nov. 2, 2020 as 1920 Ocoee Election Day Massacre Remembrance Day in Florida.

Elections Supervisor Chris Anderson said more mail-in ballots were handed in versus mailed in than ever before. “The best thing to do is, if you have a vote-by-mail ballot, just bring it directly to us. “We will ask you to surrender your vote-by-mail ballot, we’ll write ‘canceled’ on it, put it in a secure bag, and then issue you a fresh new ballot so you can cast your vote,” Anderson said. Here’s how to track your ballot]Even if you don’t bring your mail-in ballot with you to your assigned polling place on Tuesday, you can still vote. Because they understand that actually when they check you in, it alerts them on your record that you were given a mail ballot, so they’re actually trained to ask you for the mail ballot," he said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – As election workers make final preparations for Election Day, Orange County’s Supervisor of Elections is answering last-minute questions for voters preparing to cast their ballots. If a voter is still holding onto a vote-by-mail ballot, Cowles said it’s too late to send it in the mail. For anyone arriving near the time when polls close, Cowles urged voters to stay in line until their ballot is cast. Cowles said workers at his office are available to answer any questions about Election Day. We had a record turnout, we had almost 70,000 people and we’ve had a 62% turnout countywide with early voting and mail ballots."

Doesn’t support increasing capital gains taxes. Does not support federal legalization of recreational marijuana. Does not support federal legalization of recreational marijuana, but would decriminalize it. EducationTrumpDoes not support making public college tuition-free. Does not support federal funding to send students to rival schools.

As people head to polling places in the next day or so, the terms “poll watcher” and “poll challenger” will likely be tossed around at precincts. What a poll watcher isA poll watcher is someone appointed by the political parties or candidates to make sure their party has a fair chance of winning an election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. What a poll challenger isA poll challenger is someone who can challenge whether a person is eligible to vote. Can the same people be poll watchers and poll challengers? Any poll watcher must be a “qualified and registered elector” in the county he or she wants to serve.

Lines were long at polling locations Sunday, the last day of early voting in Orange County. For Jessica Sayegh, she wanted to make sure she made it to vote early in order to avoid the crowds on Election Day come Tuesday. This comes as early voting in most Central Florida counties ended Sunday evening after what appears to be a record turnout this year in both early voting and voting by mail. Early voting totals in Orange County reached 506,243 in Orange County, 137,436 in Osceola County and 204,053 in Seminole County, according to the Florida Division of Elections. “Otherwise, you have to bring it all the way down to 119 West Kaley Street.”Election supervisors said the new early polling locations like at the Amway Center were pretty good, and they saw higher numbers for early voting this week compared to the first week of early voting.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Early voting ends on Sunday, giving voters three more days to cast their ballots at early voting locations. [TRENDING: COVID-19 closes early voting location | Can you get COVID-19 twice? He said the early voting is done on Sunday night, meaning they will have 100% of those numbers. In terms of the vote-by-mail ballots, Cowles said they’ve been processing those and will likely have about 95% of those completed. “We know that the last weekend of early voting is always the heaviest,” Cowles said.

Is there a racial divide when it comes to voting wait times at precincts? In 2016, white voters waited an average of 10 minutes, according to a survey of voters conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In comparison, Black voters waited an average of 16 minutes and Latino voters were in line an average of 13 minutes, according to the survey. During the 2018 election, Black voters waited an average of 11.5 minutes, Latino voters an average of 11.7 minutes and white voters an average of 8.8 minutes, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. In precincts with 90% or more non-white voters, the average wait time was 32.4 minutes and the median was 13.3 minutes.

The COVID-19 pandemic and concerns over safety at polling places are causing more people to send in ballots via mail this year. In turn, due to cutbacks with the United States Postal Service that could cause delays, and the fact that mail-in ballots can take longer to count, there are additional fears for many over whether their ballots will be received and counted in time. For those who have mailed in a ballot before the election, the state of Florida has a simple way of monitoring it to see when it’s received. Visit this website and you can check on the status of your ballot by inputing the following information:Your first nameYour last nameYour date of birthThe deadline for the state to accept mail-in ballots is by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

In 2016, 58,331 ballots were cast in Flagler, out of 79,349 registered voters, an overall turnout of 73.51 percent. Second, the supervisor’s office will continue to accept mail ballots, by mail and in person, until 7 p.m. on Election Day. If Flagler Democrats built a small lead in ballots cast until the day early voting started, Republicans quickly overtook it as early voting got under way. They now hold an overall 46-34 percent advantage over Democrats, with independents and minor parties accounting for 20 percent of the ballots cast. In other words, while Republicans account for 43.6 percent of total registered voters in the county, they account for 46 percent of ballots cast.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – With six days left until Election Day, hundreds of thousands of votes have already been cast in Orange County. “It’s traditional for Democrats to outnumber Republicans in mail-in voting, it’s traditional for Republicans to outnumber Democrats in early voting and on Election Day,” University of Central Florida historian Jim Clark said. When you look at early voting compared to vote-by-mail, the gap between Democrats and Republicans shrinks. But it’s not until you take a closer look at the early voting numbers, from day to day, that a trend is established. For example, when early voting started on Oct. 19, if you look at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office, which is one of the county’s busiest early voting locations, Democrats had 969 voters, compared to 352 Republicans.

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Early voting locations in several counties in Florida’s Panhandle will be closing as Hurricane Zeta approaches the region. While Hurricane Zeta is expected to make landfall south of New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon, Florida's western Panhandle region is expected to see deteriorating weather conditions throughout day, officials said. The voting locations should return to the normal 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. routine on Friday and Saturday, which is the last day for early voting in Florida. Similar hours have been posted for early voting locations in Santa Rosa County. In neighboring Okaloosa County, Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux said all early voting locations will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution," as the storm approaches.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – With Election Day being less than two weeks away, leaders from the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition said statewide they’ve paid off fines and fees for 40,000 returning citizens in an effort to encourage them to vote. The organization used Saturday as a statewide day of action where thousands of returning citizens are expected to early vote. “This year is the first time they get a chance to participate with society,” he said. He said his organization has since paid off fines and fees for more than 40,000 returning citizens statewide so they can vote. After performing at Florida Rights Restoration Coalition’s #FreeTheVote, rapper and activist Common took part in a roundtable discussion with SEIU union workers, which represents thousands of workers in the service industry.

But a majority of states have realized those concerns and have put in place tracking systems for people to monitor their votes, according to Business Insider. In 35 states, voters will have access to a tracking system by providing basic information such as name, address and date of birth. There are 12 additional states that not only will offer a tracking system for ballots for federal and state races, but also at the county and local level. Only three states, Mississippi, Missouri and Wyoming, don’t have ballot tracking systems at the state or county level. For further questions or information on how to track your mail-in ballot, visit your state or community elections website.

If you’re someone who prefers to vote in-person either before Election Day or on it, how long should you expect to wait in line? Below are three factors that will largely determine how long it will take for you to vote. Where you do itThe resources a voting district has will go a long way in determining how long you are there. In precincts with 90% or more non-white voters, the average wait time was 32.4 minutes and the median was 13.3 minutes. Whether you vote early or on Election DayWith the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to be an issue nationwide, more people are expected to vote early for this election.

Added to nearly 2.67 million vote-by-mail ballots already cast, that means more than 3 million of the state’s 14.4 million voters have already participated in the election in which Florida is a key battleground between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. That included 153,743 early votes cast by registered Republicans and 154,004 by Democrats, with the remainder coming from unaffiliated or third-party voters. Of the vote-by-mail ballots already in, Democrats had returned 1.29 million ballots as of Tuesday morning, and 812,363 had come from Republicans, according to the Division of Elections. Another 3.15 million vote-by-mail ballots had been sent out, including 1.3 million to Democrats and 1 million to Republicans, but had not been returned. All counties are required to offer early voting from Saturday to Oct. 31, but they had the option of beginning Monday.

But that fiasco could be nothing compared to this year’s election -- and not just regarding who is elected president. There will be more mail-in ballots submitted than ever. The United States Postal Service is struggling with financial issues, which could delay the mailing of ballots throughout the country, according to CNBC. In August, the USPS sent letters to 46 states and Washington, D.C. warning that some main-in ballots might not arrive in time to be counted by Election Day, according to the Washington Post. Mail-in ballots take longer to count.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – News 6 saw long lines and people waiting for hours to cast their ballot throughout Orange County on the first day of early voting. People died for us to have the right to vote.”For the Weagraff’s, early voting was a family affair and a teachable moment for their son Monday. Milledge Wise told News 6 he was determined to vote on the first day of early voting, even despite his COVID-19 concerns. There are 20 early voting locations in Orange County. Orange County also posted current wait times for each early voting location, you can view the wait times at this link.

Of course, registration numbers don’t tell the whole story: Republicans have dominated state politics since the late 1990s. WHERE THE PEOPLE AREWhile Democrats lead in voter registration statewide, they top Republicans in only 19 of the 67 counties. RACIAL DIVIDEThe new registration numbers show a dramatic difference in the racial makeups of the two major parties. CORNERING THE MARKETSWhile Democrats might dominate in major urban areas, the GOP runs up huge voter-registration margins in Northwest Florida, Northeast Florida and Southwest Florida. Consider Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties in Northwest Florida: Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 201,081 votes in those five counties.

If a mega-precinct is available, that means voters can cast their ballots on Election Day at any precinct in the jurisdiction, regardless of their home address. In addition, groups of people in the same jurisdiction who are friends or family but who don’t have the same voting location can vote together at a mega-precinct. Expenses on Election Day can be reduced with fewer locations to staff. There will be 19 NBA arenas turned into voting locations on Election Day, as well as the practice facility of the Detroit Pistons. For a full list of NBA arenas that will be used on Election Day, according to NBA.com, click or tap here.

Will I still get a sticker if I send in a ballot by mail? It depends on where you live, but many communities will happily send you a sticker with your ballot in the mail. The stickers cost roughly 15 cents each, according to MIC, so if millions of people vote and want a sticker, that can add up quickly. The article said that research has shown that when voters are thanked for voting in a past election, they’re more likely to vote in the future. Research has also shown that people may be more likely to act if they are noticed by someone else, according to the article.

Florida voters have already cast nearly one million ballots in the 2020 general election, according to the United States Elections Project. Wednesday’s data shows nearly 5.5 million vote-by-mail ballots were requested in Florida with around 2.5 million were registered democrat and 1.7 million were registered republican. Democrats take the lead as nearly 500,000 ballots have already been returned compared to approximately 270,000 republicans mailing in their vote. So, it is no surprise that more Democrats have cast mail ballots. “What is increasingly becoming clear is that Democrats are returning their mail ballots at a higher rate, too.

Foot Locker is helping voters get a leg up this election year. The athletic retailer is joining forces with the non-profit Rock the Vote to give voter registration services. Foot Locker customers will be able to sign up to take part in the political process in the stores starting Sept. 22. [TRENDING: 10-foot bull shark attacks snorkeler in Fla. | Fla. strip club fights to lower dancer age to 18]CEO Richard Johnson says the plan is to “inspire and empower youth culture.”National voter registration day is a non-partisan campaign that debuted in 2012. According to its website, the organization has registered 3 million people.

Really -- did you realize, in some areas, early voting begins in the next week? Some areas have opted out of in-person voting altogether -- Connecticut, Mississippi and South Carolina, to name a few -- but many are still encouraging early voting. People are opting to vote early — where they’re able — due to factors including coronavirus fears and doubts about the reliability of voting by mail. As more people are interested in voting by mail, only about 30% say they are “very confident” their mail-in vote will be counted accurately, according to the poll. Below is a breakdown of how voting is being handled in each state across the U.S.Scroll over the map below to see which states are opening early voting.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Florida felons must pay all fines, restitution and legal fees before they can regain their right to vote, a federal appellate court ruled Friday. Under Amendment 4, felons who have completed their sentences would have voting rights restored. But the legal dispute arose after the Republican-controlled state Legislature in 2019 moved to define what it means to complete a sentence. Florida’s disenfranchised felons represent a significant bloc in a state well known for razor-thin election margins. Democrats had hopes of gaining support from thousands of former felons in Florida.

ORLANDO, Fla. News 6 on Monday will host a phone bank to help viewers get registered to vote. The phone bank, which will run from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., will feature volunteers from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office who will answer questions and guide residents through the voter registration process. The general election will be held November 3. The deadline to register to vote is October 5. The number to call to register to vote or ask questions is 407-836-VOTE.

Women wearing masks pose behind a voter registration table in Union Square as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 09, 2020 in New York City. Photo by Alexi RosenfeldAug. 18 marked the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment being ratified, which changed elections forever. The 19th Amendment prohibits the state and federal government from denying the right of citizens to vote based on sex -- meaning, women became eligible to vote after previous years of discrimination at the polls. Since 1980, more women have voted in each presidential election than men, according to Statista. So, how much of a gap has there been between women and men voters in each presidential election of the century?

Restrictions and types of early voting vary by state, but 40 states and the District of Columbia do offer some form of early voting. Turning in ballots at a local election office or polling locationJust about every state allows voters to bring ballots in person to turn them in at local election offices. If you’re not close to a local election office to turn in a ballot, some states allow ballots to be turned in to alternate locations or the polling locations. New Hampshire and Vermont allow voters to return ballots to a polling place. Drop boxesThese are special containers that allow voters to drop off absentee or mail-in ballots in sealed envelopes.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Final preps are underway this weekend at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office as early voting wraps up this weekend. Poll workers and staff were at the elections office Saturday morning preparing for the primary election day on Tuesday. Cowles said that is because the elections office is also an early voting location. He said you should drop it off at an early voting location by 7 p.m. on Sunday when early voting ends. Early voting ends in Orange and Osceola counties on Sunday, August 16.